Full-length , Big Riff Records
October 19, 2010
Ah, old school heavy metal; a genre of music that tends to scream “badass”, “cheese” or even a combination of the two. Love it or hate it without it the more extreme bands we listen to today may have never came into existence. With Johnny Lökke’s third full-length we are given a more aggressive approach to his classic metal revivalist style that flaunts shamelessly apparent influences from legends such as Judas Priest, Armored Saint, Accept and the late Ronnie James Dio. I even notice similarities to King Diamond with the more high pitch singing, which for me is just the right amount of cheese for a traditional metal classic to be very fun to listen to, yet still be taken seriously critically. Johnny is so old school that he refuses to follow the modern power metal trends of incorporating symphonic styles especially when it comes to orchestras. No, Lökke wants it to stay as pure and tough as it was back in the day, and this just makes his work stand out even more.
Promises and Lies opens up with “Accident of One,” and I must say it fits perfectly as track 1. From the first riff the listener knows exactly what to expect from this album and will not be disappointed throughout. Marching riffs, crazy solos and very nice vocals that capture the spirit of the subculture quite well and naturally invite listeners to sing a long in a boastful manner are what make the track. This one will bring pride to metal heads.
It would be rather tedious to review each track individually as this isn’t the most original album. It wasn’t intended to be anyway. I will say each track is high quality and a dull moment is rare if any are present. A song that really stands out to me in particular though would be the fourth track entitled, “Heal Me.” Lökke dominates the track with a simple but effective riff that is very headbangable. The solos are also some of the best on the album, and the falsetto vocal-ism is insane and reminds me of both King Diamond (again) and Tim Owens. The album also seems to really kick off at this point on compared to previous tracks. The song arrangement is nicely done and each track builds up to the next while still being distinctly it’s own.
“Burning the Wheel” for the most part reminds me of early W.A.S.P. musically, but the chorus reminds me of Iron Maiden’s better songs. However, Johnny’s signature singing keeps it his own and not merely a rip-off. “Obsession” is another track I see influence from W.A.S.P. as well as Judas Priest and even a bit of Motörhead. The triplet oriented rhythm makes it a very fun moshable song despite its moderato tempo and easy to the ear melody. But, I must stress, yet again, THE SOLOS!
I should wrap this up before I go on a fanboy rant and say the same things over and over again. If you like old school metal, definitely pick this album up. Clocking in at about 42 and a half minutes, you are given eleven songs of sheer tough guy cheese, the good kind of cheese that is. Also before I forget “Virus” is another highlight on the album. It may be a bit one dimensional, but consistent listening is very rewarding.
(8/10)
Reviewed by: Matt Coughlin
No comments:
Post a Comment