English
Last Updated on 20:25 by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Heavy/Power Metal
Country: Germany
Label: Independent
Year: 2023
80’s vibes check. Cool sun glasses check, denim check leather check, catchy riffs check Judas Priest intros double check. Well you see how this goes…and damn Thriller so it very well! The band comes from southern Germany and it would be rather difficult to recognize that these guys hail from Bavaria as they sound despite the more than obvious Priest influences totally Americans at least to my ears. Their sound though isn’t retro or 80’s even though the songs could have been written in the sessions of “Turbo” or “Ram it Down”…Even the artwork cover reminds me with a strange use of my imagination associatively with the music like a minimal representation tribute of “Painkiller” (you know the wheels and the colors). Entitled “Street Metal” this album is their debut and it is more than just promising. So “Street Metal” has this impetus from the 80’s but It also has a modern approaching and shows us a band that knows how to play with power and style, and mostly knowing how to write addictive tunes that overcome the lack of originality, making a result charming and catchy as hell. I can hear some similarities with Screamer or Riot City in terms of song writing procedure and how the Priest elements are filtered successfully without sounding flat or cheap imitation. The melodies are brilliant and match perfectly with the excellent song writing that doesn’t feel always on focusing on big choruses and memorable riffs. The production still could have been more analog or natural if I could use this term as it has this Turbo-like computer sound especially on drumming. I assume that may these Germans want this sound after all, now that I thinking it twice…but to my ears is a weak spot on the album. To make a long story short if you are into Priest Metal and the NWOTHM bands’ sound, then Thriller will be your next favorite band. Highlights: “Failing Night”, “Aiming for Freedom”, “Bring Me the Light”, and “City’s on Fire”.
