Grave Digger – Ballad of a Hangman

Typical heavy, power metal, which stinks of the 80s.

Grave Digger have extreme longevity, this being their 13th Album. Quite impressive and considering that I haven’t heard a single track of any of the others is quite an impressive feat. And the have impressive feet.

This album is reasonably enjoyable and they have all of the templates in place and create a nice Spirograph of musical swirly content, but, like the Spirograph, the hand and template often slip, leaving a nasty line across the page, which spoils the whole image. This is how this album is.
Nasty warbling vocals streak across the quite amiable guitar lead power metal leaving me more annoyed than musically satisfied.

The riffs are punchy and the singing is catchy, which is a recipe for success in my books, but as I say, it’s kind of spoiled by the stupid warbling which occurs throughout.

Listen to this album: While gurning.

Rating: 67%

Ballad of a Hangman

Firewind – The Premonition

Stand on something tall and bellow.

Constantly modified band, Firewind, remain unchanged for the first time in the bands’ history to release their fifth album.

Power metal, sent from the heavens and forged with the iron from the blood of the gods. You can’t not listen to this album and feel like you are the most powerful being on the planet. after hearing this album, I immediately went out with a horn or mead and slayed the peasants and pillaged their gold. I then returned to my castle and sat upon my thrown with my concubines at my feet.

This is music with the top blown off, huge wide expanses hold position over this music and you can feel the wind blow through your hair as you listen to hour long power chords echoing around you.

A very moving and empowering album, moving more towards the light and enchanting over the heavy and demonic. The heaviest song on the album, “The Silent Code” still holds this euphoric overtone while “My Loneliness” is a sad and selfish tale of loneliness.

This is the sort of album, if it was graded by a school teacher, would have “could do better” written on it. They appear to do well without trying all that hard and you feel that if they really put the effort in to it, they could come up with something really mind blowing.

Listen to this album: With a flaming torch in one hand and a wench in the other.

Rating: 79%

Extracts from “The Silent Code” and “My Loneliness”

“Mercenary Man”