I have been avoiding this band for something like ten years, because they have a stupid name and I never heard they were that awesome, so why bother? Anyway, now I have this promo, so here we go. I have to say the guitar work is really good on this, with some great twin-axe riffing and some propulsive chugging going on - very Iron Maiden/Priest in approach, with a great sound.
That said, the vocals of Oliver Strasser are not great. He can pull off a powerful upper-range wail, but that seems to be about all he has, as his regular singing is flat and rather characterless. Not bad, so much, as much as just unexciting. The vocal lines don't do much to create intensity either, and his performance is covered up in a bunch of effects and overdubs that make it sound worse. The songwriting in general is a waste, with no shape to the compositions at all. So, you have some great riffs and fine playing given nothing to do and no reason to be where they are. Every song sounds pretty much like every other one, despite how much work went into the playing and recording, this album just can't hold my attention.
