Artist: Kachana
Title: Of Gods And Men
Type: Album
Label: Self-released

Kachana have existed for over a decade, and this, their second album, blends the hooks of heavy metal with a ball-grabbing power metal edge, all wrapped up in an epic little package with classical influences both lyrically and musically. Tom Huskinson’s drumming is technically perfectly executed, and the riffs of Alexander Sarantis and Daniel Beaufort make up for what they lack in originality with tight playing and well-honed heaviness. The influences are clearly the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, with perhaps a touch of Symphony X’s complexity rearing its progressive head in places.

The one gripe one would have to flag with this album is an easy pitfall when playing this kind of classic metal is that too much of a good thing can leave one wanting less. Yes, the vibes are great, but things are not varied sufficiently to keep interest levels up, with a high pitched Tom Morton lacking the range to step outside his high-pitched comfort zone, one exception being the fantastic ballad of ‘Wings Of Time’, which he shows a much more profound variety of sounds. Aside from this slower number, and the speedier thrash sounds of ‘Sparta’, the tempos are too predictably mid-tempo throughout, and things could have been done with being shaken up a bit more, which is clearly possible given the talent on display here.

This was a bit of a missed opportunity, but anyone looking for a solid heavy / power metal release will be very happy with this. It just could have been a lot better, and eyes will certainly be peeled in the future for any more releases from these up and comers, as the potential is certainly there.

http://www.kachana.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/kachana

James Young

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