10/10!
An incredible album in its entirety! Rob Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, Maiden, Metallica; I hear all my favourites are in this group’s influences and the album soars all the way through! This album gives me a shiver like most of the Pretty Maids records do; talentful, artistic playing and writing along with a classy look.
The 4-piece, hailing from Munchen, Germany and tagged as metal, have been around since about 2010 and released some other good material with their Nameless record. Their tours include mostly Germany area so I’m not able to see them anytime soon as their vids are great and their energy is palpable.
This album All Of Our Beauty kicks from the very first opening chords of Denial of Service – a wonderful title as it reminds me of most of what I receive here in my city when attending many events. The incredible licks and mix of chorus and backup vocals makes this song a top 10 all around. Just great.
Blind Side of You has the most amazing licks and axe attacks at 02:10 onwards and angelic vocals to complement this song. Nothing compares to my favourite here; Save Me, as one of the best metal ballad-style songs ever heard by these ears. Memorable riffs and excellent writing compares favourably to much of the prog rock intelligence out there, and these guys rate a 9/10 for this song alone.
The nicely-fast Tides of Time rocks all around and is well sung and completely balanced with the rest of the record. The crunching power chords of Just Go To Hell are an excellent follow-up to Ties of Time and would be an excellent mash up in concert.
Hypocrite isn’t bad; not one of my likes here as it seems somewhat piece-mealed together but still has good artistic value and overall sound. I don’t really get it as a song, but maybe it will resonate after a few more tries – or a month – or whenever.
This record is a definite must for your collection even if this genre is not your preferred style as it reaches into several genres and puts them together in a listenable and rocking way. Metal, symphonic, speed and progressive vestiges are all included. I am constantly amazed at the writing ability of these types of artists. The intimate power of their writing and playing is perfectly integrated into a flow that can be listened through without having to take a break.
10/10 again, in case you missed it!
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[…] named, especially in these times, Hope. This is their first opus since 2016’s All Of Our Beauty! Here you can read our review of All Of Our Beauty, while you can read our interview with Pikes […]