This is the first album for years that took hold of the corners of my mouth and pulled them up into a smile. The band biog billed them as the next Iron Maiden...


Well the German guitar tone and lack of galloping rhythms put pay to that assertion. But there are some rather familiar sing-along chorus and verse melodies that could be from any Maiden album but the songs are nearer Dragonforce.

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The vocals are straight out of Rock School, blasting a Metal roar down your ears until you wonder how long a man can hold a note. The songs are solid. The guitars provide a perfect rock/Metal backing to the operatic vocal melodies. The drums lock in with the bass.

The feel and pace of the album is relentless and after five or six songs I was beginning to wonder if I had the stamina. The soaring vocals just keep coming...

The music kept on hitting me round the head like Mr Punch chasing sausages. And the smile started slipping...

So it's not perfect, not in my opinion. But then I'd say it's cut from the same cloth as Dragonforce and I have to admit to seeing them every opportunity I get.

Stormzone's songs are more varied than Dragonforce and for that alone they deserve a listen.

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