Artist: RAM
Title: Death
Type: Album
Label: Metal Blade Records

Sweden’s RAM return with their third full length album, the first for this record label, and my personal expectations are rather high as I think their earlier material is rather stunning traditional Heavy Metal, and you know how good Sweden is for producing good musicians after all! Of course, this is the fatal (in some cases) third album, but in RAM’s defence, they are trying new ideas and arrangements, don’t write them off just yet.

You still have rousing metal anthems; ‘Defiant’ is one of them. This restores faith in your fellow man, guitar harmonies, riffs and pure passion oozes from all corners of this track. Other tracks are not so fast, but equally herald the storm of traditional heavy metal, like the rousing ‘…Comes from the Mouth Beyond’, you could be excused for thinking Portrait are having a jam with this band, galloping guitar work and an acclaimed vocal delivery ensures that RAM still grab you by the short and curly’s. A guitar riff is only as good as the song that it is part of, by that I mean, you can have a ripping riff and a piss poor arrangement, RAM don’t suffer this incidence thankfully. The album, which features new bassist Tobbe Petterson is filled with darkness, but coming from this darker soul is a stronger musical delivery, the songs are more thoughtful and not so clichéd in the usual traditional metal vein, take a listen to ‘Hypnos’, this is something different, you may find this a little too far beyond the call, but there is something epic in its delivery, something sinister even, RAM have upped their game and you are heavily recommended to partake.

‘Flame of the Tyrants’ raises a studded leather glove fist in the air and pumps your adrenaline, with each second that passes, you are engaged in a near Judas Priest homage, I’m reminded of albums like ‘Killing Machine’ (or ‘Hell Bent for Leather’ as it was released in the US) and even some areas of ‘Point of Entry’. I’m not bullshitting, whilst it may not be an instant “classic” to some of you; the sound justifies a similar satisfaction, a quality that is hard to forcefully produce. Metal runs in RAM’s blood, starting 2012 with an entry as this is sure to push RAM further into relevant metal circles, RAM show that they have certainly learnt a thing or two in their previous underground existence.

http://www.metalblade.com/ram

Paul Maddison

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