These loveable Swedes have been churning out their albums laced with traditional heavy metal thunder for a few years now, and seeing them live a couple of years ago made it all worth the wait. Now on album number 5, ‘Ravenous’ provides us all with a refreshing nod to the old school, but with enough class to make it current and real.
Immediately from the opening track ‘Speed On’ there is a classic Judas Priest rush of excitement, bounding rhythms and powerful vocals make this a fist raising and head banging experience in its own right. Now that the band has you hooked Niklas Stålvind (Olsson) on vocals/guitars commands you to go back to 1692 to the year of the black witch with ‘Curse You Salem’. It is a wonderful story about getting rid of the devil amongst us all and witchcraft. The chorus does have you thinking of Gamma Ray class and a hybrid of Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween)/Kai Hanson (Gamma Ray) screams. Musically you have the wonderful twin guitar attacks famous in this band and also German compatriots Metal Inquisitor. ‘Voodoo’ needs a double check, I thought this was Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens screaming, “your hex to get rid of your ex” and “spells to increase you wealth”, classic! The solos are immense and thoughtful, melodic, shredding and metal to the bone.
This album just keeps the listener entertained pure and simple, galloping UDO/Accept similarities continue with ‘Hail Caesar’. The album title track has an early Iron Maiden feel too, this is simply classic metal perfectly executed. European metal vocal harmonies (‘Mr Twisted’) and chorus’ back up the intensity felt and the guitar blitzkrieg gives a bloody good kick up the arse. ‘Whisky Psycho Hellions’ does sound like it’s a latter day Helloween track, but full of power and enough balls in the arrangement not to be a pure copycat track. Everything is just perfect for me on this release.
This is what albums should be about, bringing traditional metal fretboard mastery, galloping rhythms, and vocal harmonies to beckoning ears all wrapped up with cut off denim jackets and bullet belts. Metal to the bone!
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