After removing my clothes, I wade into the promo sump. Yes, nakedness is advised for such a foray, as any loose material can get you ensnared by the bog’s filtration and disposal machinery or by the foul denizens that reside within the sludge. I enter herein with a single purpose in mind: to find a promo that will restore my credibility as a reviewer, if I ever had any to begin with. Since my return to the hall, I’ve written 3.5 after 3.5, and I am in search of something that will bring my average down before I am made to “non-suspiciously” disappear again. I reach down and grasp a promising prospect. Pieces of congealed n00b meat and 16-year-old promo remains fall from the cover, revealing a band name that sounds like some guy’s last name and a photo of several dudes in various tough-guy poses. I smile, allowing myself to hope that I’ve found what I’m looking for. Further investigation reveals Rozario’s Northern Crusaders to be a 50-minute-long heavy/power metal album, and I tell myself that this has 2.5 written all over it. Yep, this’ll do.

My confidence grows when I see that these Norwegians have picked the album’s first two songs as singles. “Fire and Ice” starts things off with some energetic power metal-infused heavy metal that brings Dream Evil immediately to mind. After a huge earworm chorus and some killer riffing and leads, the song winds down, and I’m horrified to realize that I’ve been involuntarily smiling and headbanging the whole time. Fear not, I say to myself. The next single can’t be as good. “We are One” takes the momentum of the opener and runs with it. I hear Brainstorm. I hear Dio. I hear more Dream Evil. I hear an even bigger chorus. Shit.

Not to worry! I’m sure they’ve simply stacked the singles at the front because they’re the best tunes. A qualitative drop-off is sure to come! Just as those foolish words finish leaving my mind-lips, “Down Low” slaps me across the face with a down-tuned chug that I didn’t see coming. This PED-enhanced version of Rozario, also seen on “Sleepless” and “Betrayed,” fits the Brainstorm mold alluded to above, and even ventures towards Mystic Prophecy levels of heaviness. “Crusader” and “Die Like Warriors” both see the band putting their Saxon pants on, their quality daring me to add them both to my “SWOARDS” playlist of battle-ready metal.

I finish Northern Crusaders for the first time and am surprised at just how fast the album’s 50 minutes flew by. I play it again. I like it even more. I am totally fucked. Sure, I can look across the album’s track list and pick out two songs that I don’t absolutely love (“Coming Home” and “The Warning”), but they’re still good songs whose place in the runtime almost totally mitigates any potential impact they could have had on the overall flow. I’m rather pissed that singer David Rosario puts in a journeyman performance with his weathered voice, and I’m even more upset that he’s filled his near-eponymous band with so much talent, particularly on guitar. The duo of Stein Hjertholm and Taran Lister has filled these tracks with muscular riffs, beautiful leads, and face-melting solos, and this is a huge reason that Northern Crusader feels so effortless and easily replayable. Even the production is fantastic. Gah! What a catastrophe!

It’s now been several weeks since I plucked this from the sump. As I put the finishing touches on the review and prepare to enter the final rating, I am suddenly aware of a presence in the room with me. I look up from my laptop screen to see 3.5 glaring at me with a sinister smile on its face. “You couldn’t live with your own failure,” it says. “Where did that bring you? Back to me.” I type the score, realizing it is futile to resist, fully aware that I’ve made the mistake of judging Rozario’s Northern Crusaders by its cover. I slam my computer screen down, stand up, and walk away, naked and full of shame.1

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pride & Joy Music
Websites: rozarioofficial.com | facebook.com/rozarioband
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

Primal Fear – Domination Review

By Steel Druhm

Ever since Ralph Scheepers left Gamma Ray for greener pastures and an ill-fated tryout for the vacant vocal spot in Judas Priest, he’s thrown his all into Primal Fear, and so, every two years or so, like clockwork, we get a new gleaming chrome platter from them. At first, it felt like he was doing Painkiller-esque album after album to show Priest what a huge fuck up they made by choosing Ripper over him.1 Over time, though, the Primal Fear sound morphed into a more power metal-centric style with Judas Priest no longer the primary influence. They’ve more or less occupied the same space as bands like Brainstorm and Mystic Prophecy for the last decade, and every release is a familiar buffet of macho riffs and Scheepers’ high-flying Halfordisms. 15th album Domination sees long-time guitarists Tom Naumann and Alexander Beyrodt depart, and Angus McSix axe-mistress Thalìa Bellazecca stepping in to replace them. Well-traveled drummer André Hilgers also comes aboard, replacing Michael Ehré. Will all this new blood shake up the Primal Fear sound and give us something different and unusual? Yes and no.

Domination kicks off in typical Primal Fear style with the anthemic and fist-pumping “The Hunter.” It’s a great example of their “Judas Priest doing power metal” sound, and it hits the chorus and makes you remember it after one spin. It’s what you expect at this point from Primal Fear, and it’s easy to enjoy. They follow that up with a run of equally catchy nuggets from “Destroyer” on through lead single “Tears of Fire.” All featuring their tried-and-true blueprint of meaty riffs and commanding vocals with a big(ish) chorus to screw your memory to the sticking point. Five songs in, you’re experiencing a very solid album that checks all the primal cuts.

Unfortunately, things start to get wobbly after that, with hits and misses appearing in random order. “Heroes and Gods” is decent and has some intensity, but the chorus falls flat and grows annoying. “Eden” is a 7-minute epic power ballad that’s okay but not epic or interesting enough to justify its length despite some decent guest vocals from Melissa Løwe Bonny (Ad Infinitum). Both “Scream” and “The Dead Don’t Die” feel generic and underwhelming, and this makes for a very soft and doughy middle for Domination. Late album track “Crossfire” brings things back around with a muscular, testosterone-heavy trip that plays to the band’s strength, but things then immediately crash again on the weird and awkward “March Boy March.” This one kicks off with weird EMD/club music before eventually launching into a speedy assault, but it feels flat and forced. I do give the band props for the odd closing ballad “A Tune I Won’t Forget” that starts out like a Leonard Cohen tune with Ralph adopting a smoky, world-weary baritone before exploding into his usual power and fury. It doesn’t amount to much, but it’s an interesting new shade nonetheless. At just over an hour, Domination is definitely too long, and since it has several lesser inclusions, it should have been pared down for a tighter, meaner release.

As ever, Ralph Scheepers is in fine form. He relies less and less on his upper-register screams and shrieks as the albums pile up, but he’s still the working man’s Rob Halford, and he knows how to push a metal anthem over the top. I’ve been a fan since his Gamma Ray days, and he always hits the mark. Long-time guitarist/songwriter Magnus Karlsson and new addition Thalìa Bellazecca do a respectable job providing the riff backdrop for Ralph, and on about half the tracks, they work some degree of magic. On the lesser tracks, things bog down into simplistic 80s-centric riffing and leads that just kind of disappear into the background. They do, however, come together for a rousing shred-fest on instrumental “Halluctions,” which is an interesting and moody addition.

Primal Fear has had a long run of good to very good albums, and Domination is the first miss in my book since 2009s 16.6 outing. Even when they miss, you still get over half an album’s worth of entertaining and replayable gym fodder. I suspect they will right the ship and come back in two years with something more memorable, and until that day, this will have to tide the faithful over. Hold fast for the Fear!

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix
Websites: primalfear.de | facebook.com/primalfearofficial | instagram.com/primalfearofficial
Releases Worldwide: September 5th, 2025

#2025 #AngusMcSix #Domination #GermanMetal #HeavyMetal #JudasPriest #MysticProphecy #PowerMetal #PrimalFear #ReigningPhoenixMusic #Review #Reviews #Sep25

Black Knight – The Tower Review

By Steel Druhm

It’s always an interesting experience to seize a promo by a band that’s been around for decades, yet you’ve never heard of them. Thus did I come to discover Dutch traditional metallers, Black Knight. Formed way back in the 80s, they didn’t release an album until 1998, and since then, they’ve only managed 2 other releases, the last being in 2020. Badly delayed by COVID lockdowns and lineup changes, it’s only now that we get 4th album, The Tower. With a sound that borrows mightily from Accept, Primal Fear, and Brainstorm, they bring exuberantly old school antics to the table with slight traces of power metal decorating the edges. It’s not fancy, it’s not new or innovative, but these chaps know what they are doing and how to push a metal song into your ears through brute force. But is there a reason why Black Knight is so little known after so many years in the game?

After the requisite intro that adds nothing at all to the album, things get extra spicy on “Tower,” where they throw all their traditional/classic metal bona fides at you like pocket sand, leaving you vulnerable to the brutal stun. It’s a burly, baddass, fist-pumping gem not far from what Primal Fear churn out on a good day, and it has that big, anthemic sizzle that makes you want to throw cars at disfavored locals. “Survive” comes out with a heavy battering ram riff before shifting gears to a more Brainstorm-esque macho metal style that suits them well. Black Knight have a real gift for crafting classic metal hooks that dig deep and get you on board. Shockingly, they deliver 7 ball-busting metal chestnuts in a row with nary a dip in quality. You get a grinding, moody power ballad like “Misery,” and then they just as easily bludgeon you with an Accept-meets-Mystic Prophecy steamroller like “Die.” This stuff puts you between the hammer and the anvil and irons your shit out good and proper.

Considering I never heard of these guys, I was quite shocked by how consistently good to great these songs are as they kept piling up like an epic car wreck in the consciousness of Steel. The slick songwriting heard on a heavy metal cut like “Deceivers” doesn’t grow on trees, and damn is it sticky like hot tar on a cold day. Not many bands can string together seven sick bangers like these on any given album. So what are the downsides? Well, as impressive as things are for the bulk of The Tower’s runtime, the last few songs seriously undermine their run of luck. “Fire” is a standard, stadium-ready rocker that doesn’t do a lot for me, but the real problem is how things end bizarrely with a German language soft rock ballad called “Im Dunkein.” This thing fits with the rest of the album about as well as steamy rhino shit does on a pricey porterhouse steak. It’s not a good song regardless of genre, and it has no business being the conclusion to a balls-to-the-walls metal album. It’s the kind of song you promptly delete and forget it ever existed, and it’s greatly perplexing why the band thought it fit here. Once this thing is removed, repudiated, and scorned, The Tower makes a Hell of a lot more sense!

GertJan Vis and Ruben Raadschelders are able axe slingers and deliver an effective collection of jackhammering riffs and earwormy harmonies as they crunch and crack along. There’s a definite Accept-on-roids vibe to much of what they do, along with flashes of salad days Annihilator. This blend works well with the kind of songs they serve up. New frontman Henk Overbosch delivers classic metal vocals with poise, power, and enough versatility to move from mood to mood without sounding forced or out of place. He has the right amount of grit and hoarsepower to convince, and the guy has legit pipes too. This is a seasoned, talented crew, and they have serious songwriting chops, which makes it even more completely baffling why they opted to end The Tower with such an ill-advised whimper.

The Tower is a very good traditional metal album with enough piss, vinegar, and pruno to make you even more of a beefbrained barbarian than you already are. It’s entertaining enough to have me sorting through their back catalog, and even with a disaster of a closer, it’s still got serious legs. If you need a classic metal fix with raw power and hooks, Black Knight will be your huckleberry. Sometimes the obscure side is the fun side.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking Stream!! Stop with the streams!!
Label: Pure Steel Records
Websites: blackknight.nl | facebook.com/blackknightNL/# | instagram.com/black_knight_band
Releases Worldwide: July 4th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Accept #BlackKnight #Brainstorm #HeavyMetal #Jul25 #MysticProphecy #PrimalFear #PureSteelRecords #Review #Reviews #TheTower

Brainstorm – Plague of Rats Review

By Steel Druhm

Another Brainstorm album is upon us, and that means another opportunity for me to blather on about how they’re the most consistent heavy metal band out there. Since I found them back in 2000 by stalking frontman extraordinaire Andy B. Franck from his Ivanhoe and Symphorce projects, they’ve regularly impressed me with their hyper-hooky and punchy take on the classic heavy metal formula. Their sound is similar to Primal Fear and Mystic Prophecy with nods to Tad Morose and the catchier eras of Iced Earth, and albums like Ambiguity, Mentus Mortis, Soul Temptation, Firesoul, Midnight Ghost and 2021s Wall of Skulls offer so much catchy, beefy metal with such high levels of replay addiction, it almost seems unfair. Even their “lesser” albums are stocked with huge high points. That brings us to the 14th album, Plague of Rats. Brainstorm are seasoned and savvy enough to know they shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, so this is another platter full of Andy’s powerful vocals soaring forcefully over crunchy riffs. They always possessed a supernatural ability to craft huge choruses and that crucial skill continues to bear juicy fruit with a collection of large and in-charge tunes designed to jack you up like a honey badger on diesel meth. Ready to brave the Ratnado?

As per usual for Brainstorm, they come out swinging after an obligatory intro. “Beyond Enemy Lines” is a big song with an epic chorus that you’ll remember after just one exposure. It’s got everything Brainstorm is known for, namely Andy’s huge voice and Torsten Ihlenfeld’s and Milan Loncaric’s ace riffs that pave the road and flatten resistance. It also has that feeling of BIGness that Brainstorm always delivers, getting your blood up and angry. “Garuda (Eater of Snakes)” finds the band revisiting their love of Indian culture and mythology as they did so famously on Soul Temptation, and they’re once again blessed with massive success by Shiva and Company. This is such a simple song structure-wise but it’s just so damn badass and Andy sells it like he just heard the motivational speech from Glengarry Glen Ross. You simply cannot hear this and not love it. “The Shepard Girl (Gitavoginda)” is another massive tune with more hooks than a Bass Pro Super Shop and it’s everything I love about Brainstorm in one sharp 3-plus minute explosion with a chorus you can’t unhear or forget.

Song after song arrives, delivers, and departs, and though not every selection has the scope and power of the high points, nothing falls flat. “Masquerade Conspiracy” is all about the thick, beefy riffs and a Primal Fear-esque attack, and “The Dark of Night” inspires the spirit with an ever so slightly Gothic shade and a ginormously epic chorus that stabs your brain like an ice pick. What are the downsides? The back half is less titanic than the front, though no song feels unworthy of inclusion. At a crisp 45 minutes, Plague of Rats is a dynamic ride, and if forced to pick a song to drop, I’d go with “From Hell.” It’s a solid enough cut with decent death metal guest vocals by Alexander Krull, but it’s the weakest monkey in the barrel of greater apes. One could also argue there are traces of self-plagiarism creeping in at times, and several riffs do sound a lot like those from the Ambiguity and Mentus Mortis platters. These are small concerns though when an album is as entertaining as Plague of Rats.

Every few years I go on a rant about how underappreciated Andy B. Franck is among metal vocalists, so here’s the next installment. Andy is one of the very best vocalists in all of metal and he’s aging like the finest of expensive vintages. He’s not a high-pitched wailer and bases his delivery around a burly mid-range but the man can stretch to great heights when needed and knows exactly how to place his vocal lines for maximum effect. I’ve been a huge fan since I heard him on the old Ivanhoe albums and he’s still blowing my mind 27 years later. Give this man some love already! The rest of Brainstorm are masters of their craft too. Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric are one of the best guitar tandems in metal, consistently churning out fist-pumping, ass-kicking riffs to drive songs through the wall like an Adamantium Kool-Aid Man. They bring power and poise to the game and know how to keep interest levels high. Dieter Bernert’s been there since the beginning bringing down the thunder with furious anger, creating the stable foundation for the larger-than-life songcrafting.

Another Brainstorm release and another victory for this hard-working crew of Teutonic Titans. You need never worry about whether they’ll deliver the goods and you always end up loving what you get. Plague of Rats is another in a long line of Brainstorm albums I’ll be playing and replaying for years and maybe decades. If you haven’t gotten into this band yet, you’re a daft punk. Be like Brainstorm and do the right thing. Even the rats know the deal.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix
Websites: brainstorm-web.net | facebook.com/officialbrainstorm | instagram.com/official.brainstorm
Releases Worldwide: February 28th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Ambiguity #Brainstorm #Feb25 #GermanMetal #HeavyMetal #IcedEarth #MentusMortis #MysticProphecy #PlagueOfRats #PrimalFear #ReigningPhoenixMusic #Review #Reviews #SoulTemptation #WallOfSkulls

Charting the course to 2025: reflecting on 70000tons of Metal 2024 Artist Spotlight: Mystic Prophecy:

#MysticProphecy #70000tons #70000tonsOfMetal #ArtistSpotlight

https://metalinsider.net/columns/artist-spotlight/charting-the-course-to-2025-reflecting-on-70000tons-of-metal-2024-artist-spotlight-mystic-prophecy

 DEMNÄCHST!
*Zusammenfassung 15.11. bis 16.12. für Köln

Hyldr
15.11.2024 Köln / Valhalla

Kruelty
15.11.2024 Köln / MTC

League of Distortion
15.11.2024 Köln / Helios37

Perzonal War und Tankard
15.11.2024 Siegburg / KUBANA Live Club

Pimp Blitzkid
15.11.2024 Düsseldorf / Pitcher

Pimp Blitzkid play Limp Bizkit
15.11.2024 Düsseldorf

Pripjat, Eradicator, Fabulous Desaster
15.11.2024 Köln / MTC

Randale
15.11.2024 Solingen / Cobra

Sanity Obscure
15.11.2024 Köln / Valhalla

Tankard
15.11.2024 Siegburg / KUBANA Live Club

Der Neue Planet
16.11.2024 Köln / Hopla Kalk

Mystic Prophecy
16.11.2024 Köln / Helios37

#Cobra #DerNeuePlanet #Dusseldorf #Helios37 #HoplaKalk #Hyldr #KUBANALiveClub #Koln #Kruelty #LeagueOfDistortion #LiveMusicHall #MTC #MysticProphecy #PerzonalWar #PimpBlitzkid #PimpBlitzkidPlayLimpBizkit #Pitcher #Pripjat #R #SanityObscure #Siegburg #Solingen #Tankard #Tanzwut #Valhalla #SteelFeed #SteelFeedSoon

 DEMNÄCHST!
*Zusammenfassung 15.11. bis 16.12. für Düsseldorf

Attic
15.11.2024 Essen / Don't Panic
16.11.2024 Essen / Turock

Burnout Ostwest
15.11.2024 Essen / Goethebunker

Diary of Dreams
15.11.2024 Oberhausen / Kulttempel

Hyldr
15.11.2024 Köln / Valhalla

Iron Savior
15.11.2024 Essen / Turock

Kruelty
15.11.2024 Köln / MTC

League of Distortion
15.11.2024 Köln / Helios37

Mystic Prophecy
15.11.2024 Essen / Turock
16.11.2024 Köln / Helios37

Pimp Blitzkid
15.11.2024 Düsseldorf / Pitcher

#Attic #BurnoutOstwest #DiaryOfDreams #DonTPanic #Dusseldorf #Essen #Goethebunker #Helios37 #Hyldr #IronSavior #Koln #Kruelty #Kulttempel #LeagueOfDistortion #MTC #MysticProphecy #Oberhausen #PimpBlitzkid #PimpBlitzkidPlayLimpBizkit #Pitcher #Turock #Valhalla #SteelFeed #SteelFeedSoon

Asenblut – Entfesselt Review

By Steel Druhm

Steel Druhm Himself and Holdeneye see eye to…eye on many metal-related issues. We gravitate toward the same styles and share an appreciation for plenty of bands across the metal spectrum. It’s not all Kumbaya though, no Sireebob. I could not have agreed less with his loving review of cheese-tastic faux-Manometal act All for Metal. They’re like an even more ridiculous version of the already super ludicrous Brothers of Metal, and I couldn’t stomach the lactose overload their music flung in all directions like cheap beer at an 80s thrash-fest. Imagine then my primal shock when I grabbed the latest album from German battle metal purveyors Asenblut only to find it’s helmed by one of the vocalists of All for Metal. Yep, Tim “Tetzel” Schmidt is the main mountain of power here, delivering course, rough death vocals over a churning sea of very familiar riffs and gallops. You see, Asenblut are like a big ole’ bucket-load of recycled Amon Amarth riffs propped up with the occasional use of traditional metal muscle and power chugs. Turns out they’ve been doing this for a long time too, as Entfesselt is their fifth album, and the second we’ve reviewed here.1 So how much real raiding can a knockoff act like Asenblut pull off in a marketplace saturated with similar, better-known battle metal acts? Let us test their metal then.

The Amon Amarth-isms hit the shores fast and hard on opener “Das Ende der Götter,” which sounds like something from With Oden on Our Side, but the early, roughed-out pre-studio version before all polishing and tweaking. Burly battle riffs pump away as Mr. Tetzel does a remarkable job imitating Johan Hegg’s rough death roars and higher-pitched screeching. It’s completely serviceable to get your blood up and your battle face on, but it’s derivative enough to be unsettling, and that’s all of Entfesselt in an elevator pitch. The title track is so AA it actually dares a lawsuit from the angry Swedes. It’s anthemic and just epic enough to trigger pec flexage and sword hand cramping and it’s not bad. “Unbesiegbar” introduces some welcome Brainstorm / Mystic Prophecy influence courtesy of big, meaty riffs, and these pair well with the shameless Swede pillaging.

Tracks like “Wölfe des Meeres” and “Blut und Sand” are solid, steeped in macho bravado and barbarian rage, heavy enough to get you hostile but memorable too. Closer “Nox Nostra Est” is extra blackened and blast-happy with an epic vibe carrying the chest-thumping machismo to a higher plane. While Asenblut clearly love the sound and style laid down by their favorite act and prove quite adept at imitating them, an album’s worth of such flattering imitation can offer challenges for the listener. You start to hear bits and pieces of their target influence’s work product and wonder if the similarities are intentional or happenstance. “Arm in Arm” sounds a lot like AA’s “Victorious March,” and while I dearly love that song, this offshoot time line is less endearing. “Hexengericht” reminds me of sillier AA fare like “Raise Your Horns,” fun but throw-away. It’s nearly impossible to listen to this album and not make these mental comparisons, and I really tried. And that’s a shame since a lot of Entfesselt is enjoyable enough. Nothing Asenblut do has a trace of their own unique identity, but they sure are good mimics with impressive bench stats.

Guitarists Alex and Chris do a solid job crafting bruising battle riffs to stir the loins and put you on the the warpath. Yes, they are following a specific blueprint not their own, and sometimes their creations veer too close to their progenitors, but they get the job done nonetheless. Big Time Tim Tetzel has a respectable death roar, more raw and rough-around-the-edge than Johan Hegg, yet still similar. He provides the berserker energy and muscle, and he’s convincing as he screams of battles and glory (the lyrics are all in German so I’m making an educated guess here). The band has enough talent to pull off this style, though the compositions often feel like washed-out versions of songs you already heard on some forgotten battlefield.

As much as I hate All for Metal, I can’t bring myself to feel the same way about Asenblut. The individual parts work well enough and the songs are mostly entertaining if often rote. The real issue is whether the world needs such a blatant copycat of a better-known act. If you want more battle metal in your life and aren’t picky how much it sounds like someone else, you’ll likely get Longship mileage from Entfesselt. All others may want to wait for an authentic Viking cruise.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Massacre
Websites: asenblut.de | facebook.com/asenblutband
Releases Worldwide: August 2nd, 2024

#25 #2024 #AllForMetal #AmonAmarth #Asenblut #Aug24 #Brainstorm #Entfesselt #GermanMetal #MassacreRecords #MelodicDeathMetal #MysticProphecy #Review #Reviews

#NowPlaying

#MysticProphecy – Ravenlord

Forgot how powerful this album is. 🤘 #Metal

Ravenstine – 2024 Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard

If you were to ask me how I began 2024, my answer would be, “Why, with 2024, of course!” More specifically, 2024, the sophomore outing of the German hard rock outfit Ravenstine. A silly album title to be sure, but it piqued my interest, and I was in just the zone for a cut of Jorn-ish hard rock. Something that stuck out to me in the marketing around Ravenstine was the focus on them being first and foremost a group of friends. Could that mean 2024 is a pile of well-meaning but messy jams by a gaggle of lads taking the piss? Or is it perhaps a collection of great songs by artists all on the same wavelength, like the gents from countrymates Vanden Plas? Turns out it’s somewhere right in the middle. Slap on those novelty 2024 glasses and let’s rock n’ roll.

2024 is something of an oddball, like a sonic midpoint between Jorn and Bon Jovi. Lead singer Žanil Tataj gives a righteous vocal performance that blends heavy rock Masculinity™ and a Tobias Sammet-esque sensitivity. That sensitivity instills 2024 with a certain kindness that’s unusual to the genre, and the instruments further enable that kindness. Whether it’s the groovy riffs and keys in “Easy Come Easy Go” or the 80’s rock guitar in “Killing Spree,” Ravenstine is always more interested in rockin’ and rollin’ than being aggressive, even veering towards Journey territory in “In the Light.” 2024 is supported by a clean mix that doesn’t give the guitars a whole lot of crunch, instead placing the vocals front and center. With a voice like Tataj’s, that’s the right choice. The clash of borderline power metal vocals and gentle-leaning heavy rock is one with the potential to fail, but in Ravenstine’s hands, it’s kind of a blast. Everything together makes for a unique style stew that’s something like road trip dad rock but for dads who go to therapy.

Ravenstine’s greatest strengths are catchy choruses, groovy melodies, and an outstanding lead vocalist, and when they lean into those strengths, 2024 kicks ass. I’m a real sucker for well-done climactic choruses, and when the guitar solo drops and silence accompanies Tataj belting out the chorus in “Fly Eagle Fly,” or when he goes buck wild on the final chorus of “A Long Way Home”, I feel like I’m in the stratosphere. Tataj brings so much power to 2024, and while the musicianship supporting him is more focused on efficiency rather than flashy indulgences, it gets the job done perfectly well. Mystic Prophecy’s Hanno Kerstan keeps the drums at a clockwork head-nodding pace, and the guitars comfortably riff away with just enough gusto to never get lost in the noise. Look to “Easy Come Easy Go” for Ravenstine firing on all cylinders: a simple, effective acoustic intro, launched into an infectious dance between electric guitars and backing synths, followed by a heartfelt chorus that demands to be sung along to.

It’s when Ravenstine ignores their strengths that 2024 begins to falter. Everyone in Ravenstine besides Kerstan is credited as a vocalist, and it’s fine when they provide support in a track like “Fly Eagle Fly.” The problem is when they completely sideline Tataj’s unique character. Of the two ballads in 2024, “Signs by the Roadside” suffers from angsty, weightless vocals that sorely lack the oomph of the more grandiose singing, in contrast to the far more engaging “When I’m Dead and Gone” where the vocals are at their most bodacious. The instruments aren’t guiltless, either. The few guitar solos in 2024 are harmless if a little uninspired, but the solo in “Killing Spree” is a brief, bizarre tonal shift that annihilates the song’s pacing before sheepishly going back to normal. Transgressions like these are infrequent, but it’s sad to see Ravenstine get in their own way when they’re capable of writing some great stuff.

2024 has plenty of issues, but it’s got all the heart it needs to deserve a recommendation, and at 39 minutes (45 if you count the live bonus track) it’s an easy listen that moves at a real clip. Quite frankly this album is worth your time for the lead vocals alone, but there’s enough to like besides. I’d love to see Ravenstine flesh out their stupendous vocals and groovy rock n’ roll sensibilities while cutting away the chaff that bogs some tracks down for their next release. If this group of friends can do that, we might have a real winner on our hands.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
Dr: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Massacre Records
Websites: ravenstine.com | ravenstine.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ravenstine
Releases Worldwide: January 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #BonJovi #GermanMetal #HardRock #HeavyRock #Jan24 #Jorn #JornLande #Journey #MassacreRecords #MysticProphecy #Ravenstine #Review #Reviews #TobiasSammet #VandenPlas