Label: Mausoleum 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom
Now Or Never? probably the latter if you twist my arm and urge the reviewer to choose. Former Pretty Maids and butt ugly geezers are singing the blues on their modern power metal album which include utterly heavy riffing and the occassional sampling and sound effect. They are no doubt the talanted bunch of musicians and the opening track of "Reach Out For The Sky" will clearly get your blood rushing in no time.
It's proper 'Painkiller' and especially Rob Halford (the solo albums) metal with clearly over the top vocals by Nightmare shouter Joe Amore. It's bleedin' 'No Amore' in the long run as you'll end up with bleedin gums just by listening to the grunts. As melodic power thrashers go, they're not half bad and "Wind Of Freedom" is the great modern power metal tune with frenzied drumming and the sheer amount of energy.
The chug-chug attack and semi shredding riffs are kind of 'been there, done that'. For instance, "Brothers", sound exactly like the first Rob Halford solo album which in all honesty had most folks running back to the record store and claiming their money in return. The industrial touch makes it all very 1995 and if that's your bag, good for you. "Hardened Steel" is more of the same, metal ála mid-nineties and the dusty old sound effect takes no prisoners whatsoever. There are a couple of true metal tracks with proper fist pumping choruses. However, overall? Meh. Pick of the bunch. "An Angel By My Side" - the excellent semi-ballad and the nice change from the chug-chug. Have a go at this if you can't get enough of Halford.
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