Year : 2021
Style : Power Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 110 mb
Bio:
Brainstorm is a German power metal band, formed in 1989 by guitarists Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric, and drummer Dieter Bernert, The band features lead singer Andy B. Franck, who is also famous for his other band, Symphorce. They are known to play a somewhat darker style of music than most power metal groups.The monumental opening of BRAINSTORM´s new album “On The Spur Of The Moment” displays the strengths of the German power metal force at their very best: atmospheric buildup, powerful riffing, excellent fine-tuning and the expressive vocals of Andy B. Franck make “Below The Line” the perfect opening track, one that will be embraced by fans of the Queensryche high times. But as everyone knows, BRAINSTORM is much more than this and the following 45 minutes are again proof of the band´s versatility and exceptional class.This is tasteful power metal that doesn´t deny BRAINSTORM´s roots but also shows that the band is living in the here and now.So besides typical BRAINSTORM songs like “Still Insane”, the up-tempo smashers „Where Your Actions Lead You To Live” and „ A Life On Hold“, you´ll find a track like “In These Walls”, whose powerful-sagging rhythm and riffs are accompanied by fragile piano lines. The grooving “Temple Of Stone” has had its baptism of fire already on the Bang Your Head and Masters Of Rock festivals.“On The Spur Of The Moment” will surely amaze every fan of the band. A big credit goes to Axel Heckert, with whom the band recorded the album in the Studio 22 in Ludwigsburg. Heckert is a declared fan of the band and his approach secured that „On The Spur Of The Moment“ sounds just as it was necessary. Beside this it´s obvious that BRAINSTORM have reached a whole new musical level with this amazing new piece of work.BRAINSTORM were founded in 1989 by Torsten Ihlenfeld, Milan Loncaric and drummer Dieter Bernert. The first years saw the band build a solid groundwork with several demo releases and live appearances. In 1997 then BRAINSTORM signed their first record deal, the self-produced “Hungry” album was released and received good critics.Just a year later the band was back in the studio to record their second album “Unholy”, this time under the aegis of Charlie Bauerfeind and Dirk Schlächter. On the following European tour with Iced Earth all expectations were fulfilled, before BRAINSTORM made the next important step in their career with the addition of new vocalist Andy B. Franck to the band´s ranks.The third album “Ambiguity” was released shortly after and again received lots of praise from the press.In October 2001 BRAINSTORM released their next album “Metus Mortis”, which should become their international breakthrough. Numerous European magazines awarded it as “album of the month”.In 2003 “Soul Temptation” was unleashed, an album that should further increase the band´s status. Chart entries in numerous European countries followed and the intense BRAINSTORM live performances were solidifying the band in the champion´s league of metal.Who would have thought that their next album „Liquid Monster“ (2005) should again be a huge progress? – In fact it was: Europe-wide chart entries and a successful hit single (“All Those Words”) caused that BRAINSTORM were invited to play all important festivals. Some of these appearances were released on the “Honey From The B’s” double-DVD that came out a bit later and was also used to shorten the time before the next studio album.“Downburst” was then released in January 2008. Not even 2 years after,BRAINSTORM celebrated their first release for AFM, “Memorial Roots”, which will now be followed by “On The Spur Of The Moment”, the newest product of Germany´s quality metal warrant.„On The Spur Of The Moment“ is an incredible power metal album, that again underlines the exceptional status of BRAINSTORM.
Album:
More than 30 years of history in metal and still the Brainstorm guys visibly captivate huge musical enthusiasm and joy while earning almost endless expertise in their craft. Amongst others these ingredients culminate in a perfected new masterpiece of metal music, titled "Wall Of Skulls". As special guests, Brainstorm has acquired no less than legendary Rage fronter 'Peavy' Wagner and Orden Ogan mastermind 'Seeb' Levermann, who is also responsible for the top-notch and vital sound of the new album.The catch-up continues after my three-month hiatus, with the latest release from German power metal band, Brainstorm. Entitled ‘Wall Of Skulls’, this is the thirteenth full-length album from the Heidenheim-based quintet, and it was released midway through September on the ever-steadfast AFM Records. Having been an on-off fan since the release of ‘Soul Temptation’ in 2005, their last album, ‘Midnight Ghost’ thoroughly impressed me. And so, when I was reminded of their return, I felt sufficiently interested to check out ‘Wall Of Skulls’.Blessed with one of the most stable line-ups in heavy metal history, I have to say that Andy B. Franck (vocals), Torsten Ihlenfeld (guitars), Milan Loncaric (guitars), Antonio Ieva (bass), Dieter Bernert (drums) have bested their previous endeavours with ‘Wall Of Skulls’. There is something about this album that, from the first listen, is infectious, energetic, and a huge dollop of fun. It continues where ‘Midnight Ghost’ left off in many ways in that this is an album chock full of melody, groove, energy and importantly for a metal band, some heavy riffs accompanied by a hefty dose of fast tempos. It’s as if the band were buoyed by the reaction to ‘Midnight Ghost’ and decided to up the ante even more. I for one am delighted, because ‘Wall Of Skulls’ can only enhance the reputation of a band that has worked hard, but remained a little too deep in the shadows for my liking.I could end the review right there if I wanted, because I’ve basically described ‘Wall Of Skulls’ in a nutshell: Fast, heavy, melodic, powerful. But that’s not my style, so allow me to delve just a little deeper.First off, Brainstorm have used Andy B. Franck to his fullest; this is the album where he excels as the frontman. Not that he hasn’t previously, it’s just that the output on this record plays to his strengths, it feels. He is commanding, engaging, and thoroughly entertaining as he belts out the lyrics with his familiar grit and Teutonic inflections. The power and effort that he puts into his performance throughout the eleven tracks (twelve if you include the bonus song on the limited-edition version) is impossible to ignore and easy to enjoy.And when I said that there is a hefty dose of fast tempos, I wasn’t lying. Buckle up people because ‘Wall Of Skulls’ is a bit of a bruiser. It gets the blood pumping early on, and then rarely lets the heartrate lower. As such, you get galloping rhythms, incessantly fast drumbeats, and riffs that have plenty of pace to them without sacrificing the grunt. And all that, on top of some well-placed theatrics.Those theatrics begin with the intro, ‘Chamber Thirteen’, where the sound of Gregorian plainchant echoes within a dark, sinister-sounding framework, into which guitar riffs feed atop a rousing cinematic soundtrack, full of bombast.From there, we’re straight in to ‘Where Ravens Fly’ with no pause for breath. The immediate pace is best described as ‘full throttle’, with pounding drums, wailing vocals, and then a killer chorus that builds upon the orchestration from the intro. I already like what I’m hearing, a sentiment that has not dimmed with repeated listens over the last few days.The quality continues with ‘Solitude’, that kicks into life via an organ/vocal duet of what, it transpires, is the chorus melody. A really cool guitar lead line accentuates the central melody whilst Franck steps in again to lead the orchestra in perfect harmony. The pace is slightly slower, delivering a stomping power, allowing a little subtle nuance or two to enter the fray within the verses. However, with a chorus this strong, it’s hardly surprising that it remains the focal point.‘Wall Of Skulls’ offers another layer by virtue of a couple of guest appearances, a first for Brainstorm at any point within their 30+ year career. ‘Escape The Silence’ boasts Rage’s Peavey Wagner, whilst ‘Turn Off The Light’ welcomes Orden Ogan’s Seeb Levermann, who also assumes the role of the album’s producer. The former is a bulldozer of a power metal song, full of double-pedal intensity and an insanely rousing chorus, whilst the latter which immediately follows, shows no let-up in tempo, with more double-pedal drumming and a classic 80s metal feel to some of the central riffs and squealing lead break. It goes without saying that the chorus is another barnstormer, as Brainstorm seem incapable to penning anything substandard, with the muscular groove towards the close a thing of beauty also.The intro to ‘Glory Disappears’ allows us a few seconds to catch our breath, as indeed does the song in it’s entirety. It’s more of a mid-tempo quasi-ballad with a chorus that’sslightly reminiscent of the likes of Hammerfall or Sabaton, thanks to the unashamed epic ‘call to arms’ quality it possesses.‘My Dystopia’, thanks to frenetic rhythms and an urgent lead guitar lick returns us to the faster, higher-octane pace, whilst a certain amount of variety is displayed via songs like ‘End Of My Innocence’ and ‘Holding On’. Both have keys within them that hark back to yesteryear, but the latter in particular plays around with more overt melodic hard rock trappings. The chorus veers close to AOR territory thanks to multi-layered vocals, albeit within a more metal framework. But both once again, deliver satisfying choruses that you’ll be humming long after the album has finished.When I made my return to reviewing recently and asked readers for recommendations of what I needed to check out, Brainstorm were mentioned a couple of times and I can definitely see why. With ‘Wall Of Skulls’, they have surpassed everything that they have previously done, creating a thoroughly engaging melodic power metal album in the process. If ‘Wall Of Skulls’ does not enhance their reputation and pull them a little more from the shadows, then there is simply no justice in the world; if power or melodic metal sits within your sphere of interest, then ‘Wall Of Skulls’ is worthy of your time, attention, and hard-earned cash.
Line-Up:
Andy B. Franck - Vocals (lead) (1999-present) - See also: ex-Symphorce, ex-Ivanhoe
Milan Loncaric - Guitars, Vocals (backing) (1989-present)
Torsten Ihlenfeld - Guitars, Vocals (backing) (1989-present)
Antonio Ieva - Bass (2007-present) - See also: Farmer Boys, ex-Letter X, ex-Stereo.Pilot
Dieter Bernert - Drums (1989-present) - See also: ex-Tarot's Myst
Tracklist:
01. Chamber Thirteen
02. Where Ravens Fly
03. Solitude
04. Escape The Silence (ft. Peavy Wagner)
05. Turn Off The Light (ft. Seeb Levermann)
06. Glory Disappears
07. My Dystopia
08. End Of My Innocence
09. Stigmatized (Shadows Fall)
10. Holding On
11. I, The Deceiver
12. Cold Embrace (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
