I remember coming across these guys about five or six years ago, their third (badly titled) album ‘Phorcefullahead’ being pressed into my palms for reviewing purposes. It was pretty good stuff being a relatively successful marriage of soaring Maidenisms, Metallica chug and down-tuned Nevermore riff indulgence. That vocalist Andy B Franck was more than capable of carrying a tune helped enormously and I made a mental note to keep an eye on this German outfit. A mental note subsequently ignored as ‘Unrestricted’ is my first encounter with the band since that point. Negligence on my part aside, it’s pleasing to report that Symphorce have managed to maintain the considered quality of their approach in the intervening years and that ‘Unrestricted’ represents another sturdy outing.
Surprises are in scant supply here and if it’s avant-garde, genre-mashing experimentation you’re looking for, you’re very much in the wrong place. However, if you fancy gorging on slickly-produced, professionally-executed and solidly-written modern metal, Symphorce’s latest record will deliver the goods. Franck’s vocals once again impress, a precisely controlled wail that recalls Bruce Dickinson at his most mercurial. The interplay between his siren-like tones and the muscular bedrock of the band provides the ears with much to gorge upon. ‘The Eternal’ and ‘Until It’s Over’ are a sterling one-two, opening the album in an engaging fashion and although ‘Sorrow in our Hearts’ has some questionable riffing, by and large the standards of songwriting throughout ‘Unrestricted’ demonstrate an undeniable competency.
However, digging deeper, one seems to strike bedrock. ‘Professional’; ‘solid’; ‘competent’; not exactly words to get the pulse racing or send chills of excitement down the spine. And this is Symphorce’s problem – they ain’t all that interesting. There’s definitely a market for chunky, mid-paced modern metal and Franck’s vocals are genuinely stand-out at points but they aren’t really doing enough to elevate themselves above the crowd. Lacking Nevermore’s distinctiveness or the flamboyant, epic stylings of many of their power metal peers, whilst it’s commendable that Symphorce have stuck resolutely to their guns, they are in danger of becoming mired in the furrow they so doggedly plough. Time to direct some of that undoubted talent into bringing something a little different to the table next time.
http://www.myspace.com/symphorcepower
