STORMWARRIOR - review added 6th May 2011
Album Review: Heathen Warrior (2011)
For fans of: Speed Metal
German band Stormwarrior released their first music back in 1999 with the demo "Metal Victory". First album proper, a self-titled effort, came along in 2002. "Heathen Warrior" is their fifth full studio release, and sees the band continuing their 1980's inspired speed metal crusade supporting all things Nordic and battle-icious.
The guitars are rapid and thumping, and the drums and bass tear along at a fair rate of knots. To be fair this isn't your standard speed metal though. Stormwarrior don't just play speed for the sake of it, and the velocity of their music actually varies considerably throughout. Musicianship-wise the album is a bit of a beast, both in terms of the compositions and the playing itself. It's easy to get drawn in and lost in the sound these guys make. No mean feat.
Problem for me (and I often find myself saying this on this sort of album) is the vocals. Lars Ramcke has a decent enough voice - almost heading down the Vince Neil (Motley Crue) road - but he doesn't quite do the playing justice. Where the instruments are above average, he is merely equal to average. He is certainly no worse than any number of other singers out there, but the musicianship is a league ahead and that leaves the overall sound unbalanced. Get someone like Michael Kiske or Jorn Lande on this album it could have been brutal.
Song wise, 'Heirs To The Fighte', 'Wolven Nights', 'Ravenhearte' and 'The Valkyries Call' are the best, with the last being especially enjoyable, but none of them are going to go down in the history books.
In Summation:
It's all quite enjoyable, but there's little that's exceptional here. Stormwarrior will be a blast live, but they haven't quite cracked the recorded media with this one.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Track List:
01. ...Og Hammeren Haeves Til Slag...
02. Heathen Warrior
03. The Ride Of Asgard
04. Heirs To The Fighte
05. Bloode To Bloode
06. Fyre & Ice
07. The Returne
08. Wolven Nights
09. Ravenhearte
10. The Valkyries Call
11. And Northern Steele Remaineth
Band/Performers:
Lars Ramcke – Vocals & Guitar
Alex Guth – Guitar
Yenz Leonhardt – Bass & Vocals
Hendrik Thiesbrummel – Drums
Other Info:
Mix and mastering by Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse Studios, Denmark
Label: Massacre Records
Artist's website(s): Stormwarrior | MySpace | Facebook
