BRAINSTORM - review added 16th October 2011
Album Review: On The Spur Of The Moment (2011)
For fans of: Power Metal
Brainstorm have been around since the late 1980s, and been releasing albums since the 1990s. The band's finest moments came with "Soul Temptation" in 2003 and "Liquid Monster" in 2005. I'm not sure they've ever recorded a bad album, but it's a while since they created anything genuinely gigantic.
From the first bars of the opening song, new album "On The Spur Of The Moment" sounds like classic Brainstorm. It's instantly clear they've put that extra level of effort in this time round, they've really captured the sound that made them great (without retreading old ground) and they've once again discovered catchy hooks and riffs. They seemed overjoyed by their last album "Memorial Roots". On that evidence they should be positively orgasmic this time round.
The individual songs on OTSOTM aren't quite up there with the finest the band have ever done, but they aren't that far off. The album works best as a whole, letting the listener really sink into that unique Brainstorm sound, though the super heavy 'In The Blink Of An Eye', the bombastic 'Temple Of Stone', the more thoughtful 'In These Walls', the groovy 'Dark Life', the speedy 'No Saint - No Sinner', the even speedier 'Where Your Actions Lead You To Live', and the chugging 'My Own Hell' all offer standalone thrills.
In Summation:
Back on form. Big time. Brainstorm WERE the best thing in power metal. Then they weren't. Now they might just be again.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Track List:
01. Below The Line
02. In The Blink Of An Eye
03. Temple Of Stone
04. In These Walls
05. Still Insane
06. Dark Life
07. No Saint - No Sinner
08. Where Your Actions Lead You To Live
09. A Life On Hold
10. My Own Hell
Band/Performers:
Andy B. Franck - Vocals
Torsten Ihlenfeld - Guitar
Milan Loncaric - Guitar
Antonio Ieva - Bass
Dieter Bernert - Drums
Other Info:
Label: AFM Records
Artist's website(s): Brainstorm | MySpace | Facebook
