Reviewed by Eric Saeger
The words “Sweden” and “metal” in the same sentence of a review usually indicate speed, Beelzebub, white makeup, that kind of thing. Even worse, sometimes it means the band standing trial is a bunch of simpletons who have a fave Priest/Maiden tune they hope people have forgotten about and they’re shoving it up everyone’s nose without any sort of plan B, (i.e., something original-sounding). This quintet has neither of these problems, tempering their not-hideously-obvious Maiden influences with singer Per Karlsson’s Paul Stanley dead-ringing. The production is way old school, like Metal Church’s first album and stuff. Obviously the thing cost exactly $5000 to make in an analog studio with no laptop stuff, just like the old days, so this is a classic in every sense of the term, not least of which musically, ghouling up the holy-crap-octane-level of Priest’s Defender of the Faith. They’re big mouths too, having sort-of declared war against death metal, a soft target anywhere but within the genre they’re hoping to dent, so they’ve got their work cut out, leaving as their biggest weakness a curveball tune that evinces a sense of humor.
Grade: A
