PRETTY MAIDS: "Motherland"

Rating: RRRR
Label: Frontiers 2013
Review by Kimmo Toivonen
Pretty Maids is a bit of a special band. I've almost given up the hope that they might release a perfect "five R-album", but on the other hand, I know that they'll hardly ever disappoint. The band's range is pretty wide even within one album - usually they've got some ultra-melodic AOR type of songs sitting comfortably next to aggressive metal tracks.
"Motherland" is a solid PM album. The melodic AOR gem of the album is "Sad To See You Suffer" while the heaviest track is probably "Hooligan". The other tracks are somewhere between. Initially I wasn't too impressed with the album, I thought it lacked melodic choruses. It just needed a few spins... I still think that some of the hooks could have been sharper, but there's no denying that it's a strong album. "Mother Of All Lies", "Why So Serious?", "Bullet For You" and "Who What Where When Why" and the aforementioned AOR gem are top-notch tunes. At their best, Pretty Maids are unbeatable when it comes to mixing metal with melody.
Website