Formed in the latter Thrash scene of the 1980’s then taking an enforced rest period as grunge came and went and thrash was taken underground again, these were lonely times in America, their homeland, and indeed in the rest of the world. Fresh in the face of these troubles Maelstrom re-grouped with the original vocalist and guitarist and has produced this 3-track promo sampler from their forthcoming album.
Epic riffs and rhythms with some pretty fancy solos are the order of the day, the tunes themselves verge on a mix of symphonic metal, thrash and progressive inklings and some of the guitar parts remind me of Yngwie Malmsteen shredding up and down the fretboard, especially on the opening track ‘Arise’. The only criticism I find with this album precursor is the vocals. Whilst strong and powerful, there are areas that fail to keep the momentum going, but then there is a range of styles laid down that lends themselves very nicely to the arrangements. ‘A Futile Crusade’ has me wondering when the guitars are going to settle down, then this killer break down and thrashing madness gives you the kick that you have been waiting for. I feel there some early Annihilator musical influences whilst the arrangements are a mixture of everything, even some Rhapsody of Fire. The epic trashing rage continues with the final sample track ‘Predestined’, now this is where I like the vocals, they are matching the brutality perfectly and the many guitar “sweeps” played are soul destroying.
This sampler shows the future as being very bright. The arrangements and music on offer are superior in most aspects and this is a good vision of things to come.
http://www.myspace.com/metalmaelstrom
http://www.metalmaelstorm.com
