{"id":51416,"date":"2016-03-15T19:19:15","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T00:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=51416"},"modified":"2016-03-15T19:19:15","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T00:19:15","slug":"brainstorm-scary-creatures-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2016\/brainstorm-scary-creatures-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Brainstorm | Scary Creatures<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Brainstorm\"Long running German Power Metal band Brainstorm kicked off the New Year with a new studio album, their eleventh overall, titled Scary Creatures<\/em>. Brainstorm has been steadily delivering hard-hitting Power Metal albums for the better part of two decades now, and Scary Creatures<\/em> definitely continues that trend.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re already a fan of the band, you know there\u2019s a signature Brainstorm sound. Their albums don\u2019t tend to vary too much from that formula. And make no mistake, it\u2019s a formula that works. So many Power Metal bands are melodic to the point of being sing-songy, or fantasy-inspired to a fault. Brainstorm keeps their Power Metal nice and heavy, and avoids a lot of the genre\u2019s lyrical clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

Brainstorm isn\u2019t breaking any new ground with Scary Creatures<\/em>. It\u2019s more or less the same album as Firesoul<\/em> or On the Spur of the Moment<\/em>. But those were really good albums, and so is this one. \u201cWe Are\u2026\u201d is a fantastic metal anthem, with its catchy hooks and children\u2019s choir, the title track is such a satisfyingly heavy song, and tracks like \u201cWhere Angels Dream\u201d and \u201cScars In Your Eyes\u201d have an almost Armored Saint vibe. \u201cCaressed By the Blackness\u201d and \u201cTake Me to the Never\u201d are vintage Brainstorm though.<\/p>\n

As long as you\u2019re not looking for something innovative or genre-defying here, there\u2019s plenty to love about Scary Creatures<\/em>. It\u2019s as solid and enjoyable as the last few Brainstorm releases, and ought to satisfy the band\u2019s long-time fans. It\u2019s also an album that fans of heavier Power Metal bands like Mystic Prophecy and Iron Savior should enjoy.<\/p>\n

Edition Notes: The limited edition CD version of Scary Creatures<\/em> comes in a digipack and features the bonus studio track \u201cLift Your Eyes to See\u201d as well as a bonus live DVD. It\u2019s a nice upgrade over the standard version, and one where you do feel you\u2019re getting your money\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

Genre: Power Metal<\/p>\n

Lineup:
\nAndy Franck (v)
\nTorsten Ihlenfeld (g)
\nMilan Loncaric (g)
\nAntonio Ieva (b)
\nDieter Bernert (d)<\/p>\n

Track Listing
\n1.\tThe World To See
\n2.\tHow Much Can You Take
\n3.\tWe Are\u2026
\n4.\tWhere Angels Dream
\n5.\tScary Creatures
\n6.\tTwisted Ways
\n7.\tCaressed By the Blackness
\n8.\tScars In Your Eyes
\n9.\tTake Me to the Never
\n10.\tSky Among the Clouds
\n11.\tLift Your Eyes to See<\/p>\n

Label: AFM Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.brainstorm-web.net<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven Rating: 8\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – Sr. Columnist — Long running German Power Metal band Brainstorm kicked off the New Year with a new studio album, their eleventh overall, titled Scary Creatures. Brainstorm has been steadily delivering […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":51417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13652],"tags":[8645,9178,2317,1097,12151],"class_list":{"0":"post-51416","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2016","8":"tag-afm-records","9":"tag-brainstorm","10":"tag-cd-review","11":"tag-power-metal","12":"tag-scary-creatures"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}