At different stages in my life, I have come to a stage where I go out and buy half a dozen albums from bands I have never heard, just to see what they are like. Many of them ended up being duds, that now collect dust at the back of the cabinet. On one of these trips almost a decade ago, I picked up this album – and I never looked back.
OK, some of the music might be ‘messy’, but bloody hell, not everyone in the world can be John Petrucci or Mike Portnoy. If you are only going to be interested in the technical elements then you aren’t going to like much music. The tunes here are just great, they have the right feel, and many conduct the right mood. The vocals of Joacim Cans are absolutely immaculate. His voice carries this album where it may not have gone with a lesser singer.
Many of the lyrics might be cheesy, but damn if you don’t sing along with them all at the top of your lungs. Almost every song has a catchy riff, so that your head and legs can’t help but keep in tune with the music. As a band that have the obvious influence of Helloween, they do a mighty fine job for their debut outing.
In my opinion, there is hardly a weak link. So many of the songs here have intro’s that just grab me from the start, before the vocals even come into it. “The Dragon Lies Bleeding”, “The Metal Age” and “Steel Meets Steel” are the best examples of this – rollicking guitar that drags you in, and then holds you for the entire song. “Hammerfall” and “Stone Cold” are also particular favourites.
The two power ballads on the album, “I Believe” and “Glory to the Brave”, are also high on the scale of listenability for their genre. While I’m not a big fan of power ballads (how many times have I written that now…) these two songs are performed and written well enough for me to enjoy(ish).
When I first got this album, I was enthralled for weeks with it. Even now, all these years later I can easily put it on at any time, in any mood, and enjoy it. That gives it the mark of greatness. Perhaps if you aren’t a fan of the genre you won’t get as much from it as I do, but I think it is superb.
Rating: For a debut album from a band, you couldn’t ask for much more. 4.5/5.
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