BRAINSTORM - review added 8th October 2009
Album Review: Memorial Roots (2009)
For fans of: Power Metal... and trees with faces
German power metallers Brainstorm have long been amongst our favourite bands at Rock Realms. We reckon their 2005 release, Liquid Monster is one of the finest entries in the genre. Soul Temptation had it's moments too. Memorial Roots has been described by the band as their best work to date, so it will be interesting to see just how good it is...
Memorial Roots follows last year's Downburst, an album that somehow passed me by. It marks the recording debut of Antonio Ieva (bass) with Brainstorm, although he has been playing live with the band for a few years now. Completing the line-up is Andy B. Franck (vocals), Torsten Ihlenfeld (guitars, backing vocals), Milan Loncaric (guitars, backing vocals) and Dieter Bernert (drums).
The first thing you notice with this album, apart from the suspicious jungle sounds for the first few seconds, is how controlled it all sounds. Previous releases have had fabulous songs on them, but they've sounded a touch loose, almost live in their production. Memorial Roots has a distinguished air about it as if every last note was pondered over and thought through before being included. It gives the album an incredible aura, but it also makes it a tad artificial. It reminds me of Metallica's Black album - brilliant but almost too good for it's own well being.
Track-wise, opening number 'Forsake What I Believe' has that jungle-licious opening before moving into a plodding beast of a song with a subtly epic vibe. It's like listening to a distant nuclear strike with your eyes shut and ear plugs in; it's massively potent but perhaps doesn't unleash it's full gravity. 'Shiver' is speedier and much more lively. It doesn't have the depth of the previous track but, thanks to a top-end chorus, it's a much better song.
'The Conjunction Of 7 Planets' starts slowly and sounds innocuous for the first minute or so. Eventually it builds into something phenomenally good. The chorus is biblically proportioned and, although the rest of the song is tame in comparison, the chorus makes the song a memorable affair. 'Cross The Line' is good, if nothing special. The drums are the standout feature, although as a whole it never really gets anywhere.
'Nailed Down Dreams' is much more like it. It's another humongous beast of a track with more epicness in its veins than a Minotaur in a suit of armour. Andy B. Franck (mustn't forget the 'B') has an amazing voice and this song is a perfect demonstration of it. 'Blood Still Stains' is lively and enjoyable, if ultimately unexceptional. 'Ahimsa' is again pleasant but doesn't jump out and grab your throat - as indeed it shouldn't with a name like that.
'The Final Stages Of Decay' is a grandiose track with a big beat structure and plenty of twists and turns to gather your attention. Much better. Not as better as 'Victim' though. I love the 1950's phazer sounds. The overall vibe of the song is crazily catchy, and the combination of drums and guitar is (in places) just mind blowing. The mid-paced 'When No One Cares' is up there with the better tracks too, as is the final entry 'Would You'; a chilled but heavy song with balls the size of ripe coconuts.
There is no doubt this is a top-notch album. As a whole it's beautifully cohesive and flows from start to finish like a well oiled ice cube. It took a long time to get fully into, but it's definitely worth the effort. Saying that, I don't feel it matches Brainstorm's best work. It's on a par with Soul Temptation but someway short of their magnum opus, Liquid Monster. There just aren't enough massive anthems for it to be there on the top of the pedestal.
Check out... The chorus on 'The Conjunction Of 7 Planets'.
Track List:
01. Forsake What I Believe
02. Shiver
03. The Conjunction Of 7 Planets
04. Cross The Line
05. Nailed Down Dreams
06. Blood Still Stains
07. Ahimsa
08. The Final Stages Of Decay
09. Victim
10. When No One Cares
11. Would You
Label: AFM Records
Artist's website(s): Brainstorm , MySpace
