Artist: Van Canto
Title: Tribe Of Force
Type: Album
Label: Napalm Records

Just as you thought metal was all about heavy guitar riffs, Van Canto are here to try and prove you wrong. The only conventional instrument you’ll find here is the drums, with the rhythm instruments instead being imitated by a trio of vocal harmonies (think back to all those times you air-guitared to Master Of Puppets while yelling “duh, duh, duh”). This band have been around for a few years now and being a frequenter of a certain metal news website I have previously seen their name mentioned and even heard a couple of tracks, both covers, however must confess to not realising these to be what you might call a “serious” band. A-capella metal is something, well, novelty and when you hear one of the old classics covered in such a way you’d have to be made of stone for it to not make you smile but when it comes to an album of original material it is a different story.

It’s clear from the opening track, ‘Lost Forever,’ that their heart lies deep within the power metal mould as everything races gaily and merrily away in such a fashion that would make Stratovarius proud. The lead male vocals are delivered in that clean croon that comes coated in cheddar while on ‘One To Ten’ these are counterbalanced with the bright and chirpy feminine tones of Inga Scharf. This track has quite an olde worlde renaissance vibe and one can imagine a fair damsel awaiting her rescuer in shining armour. ‘Rebellion’ also has an epic battle swagger to it in the warrior-esque lead vocal intro that takes us in with a rolling rhythm and it’s clear this is going to hold a certain appeal to you if your secret pastime is prancing around your bedroom with a plastic cutlass and Viking helmet.

If ‘My Voice’ had instruments replacing the thrashing vocal arrangements then it would probably kick butt, however there is just something missing from the sound that makes it really hard to get into this album. Power metal really needs a certain amount of oomph to drive ahead at full speed but this all kind of plods along never really taking off. Perhaps I am missing the point, and I’m sure there are people out there who think this is genius but it just leaves me cold; it’s the metal equivellent of that pretentious Tate Modern art that serves no purpose but for other artists to theorise over – it may be in a class of its own but it doesn’t mean I want it in my living room!

http://www.vancanto.de/
http://www.myspace.com/vancanto

Luci Herbert

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