I enjoyed the cd by this metal band from Portland, Oregon, who have supported Primal Fear, Kamelot and Tony MacAlpine amongst others.
The title track kicks off proceedings well. There’s a catchy, metal riff, a nice use of harmonics and an enjoyable guitar solo. The second track, ‘Set The Past On Fire’, has a old school metal feel with crashing drums, gritty vocals and plenty of good guitar work. It’s a rather bitter song about breaking up but it sounds determined rather than resigned. ‘The philosophical Seasons’ is next. It’s a slower, simpler track with a good change of tempo towards the end. I sense the influence of some of the older British heavy metal bands in this and other tracks, The harmony guitar work is similar to Iron Maiden in quite a few tracks, such as the next track, ‘Until The End’. This is another slow starter with atmospheric harmony guitar and a strong vocal performance. It’s a more positive song about breaking up and moving on. Again, the song speeds up with the swapping of riffs between the two guitarists, Fred Osborn and J. Mo.
‘Hope And Change’ has plenty of tempo changes with an enjoyable chunky riff and soaring vocals delivered by Brian Garrison. The rhythm section Brian Bailey (bass) and Kris Holboke (drums) are tight and the drumming is pretty lively on many tracks. The song is very critical of the U.S Government, for not delivering promised changes to society. ‘The Court Of Kings’ is a swipe at the powerful and wealthy elite in the U.S legal system and the way the legal system is run. This is a more straight forward rocker. As on the other tracks, there is a lot of impressive guitar soloing and harmonies. ‘Paths Of Destruction’ is an atmospheric instrumental that leads into the epic, soldier’s story, ‘Carry On’. Again, it’s a slow starter with some understated guitar and a great vocal performance by Garrison. This track builds in tension and develops into a classy heavy metal riff, with those trademark solos and harmonies. It’s a good track to finish the cd with.
Overall, this is a really well made heavy metal album, with plenty of very good riffs, solos, energetic drumming and powerful vocals. Well recommended.
By Chris Greenwood
