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August 29, 2008 |
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01. At Night
02. Some Other Time, Some Other Place
03. Axes & Honor
04. To Be A Champion
05. Infinitum
06. Fight To Be Free
07. Transfixed
08. By My Hand
09. Guardian Bloodline
10. The Reflecting Pool
11. False Orion (Bonus Track)
12. Beyond The Gate (Bonus Track)
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First, let me comment on the artwork by Derek "Eddie" Riggs (IRON MAIDEN). It's not appealing. Riggs needs to stop this computer-generated stuff, and start using a pencil again. Needless to say, it wasn't the artwork, but the sticker on the album's slipcase that won my attention. The sticker trumpets this album as "One of the greatest American Power Metal records ever," proclaiming it "A must have for fans of classic MAIDEN, ICED EARTH, HAMMERFALL, MANOWAR and early FATES WARNING." Of those bands, MAIDEN and FATES WARNING are the most fitting musical comparisons, while song titles like "Axes & Honor" and "Fight To Be Free" nod, or should I say headbang, to the likes of MANOWAR and HAMMERFALL. One advantage that American power metal has over the European variety is that American bands like STEEL PROPHET, ICED EARTH, and JAG PANZER are more influenced by MAIDEN, whereas Europower has a much greater HELLOWEEN influence, and that's not a good thing.
You can forget about Dustin Hoffman. Songwriters Tony Taylor and Scott Waldrop are both more deserving of the title Captain Hook. Their melodies are infectious, with choruses that don't just get inside your head, but lay eggs there. The classic riffs and leads will have you playing air guitar in front of the bedroom mirror. The drumming isn't overtly complex, but at least you know there's a human at the kit, and Marc Stauffer hits it like he means it. What the vocalist Tony Taylor lacks in hair, he makes up for in range and emotion. He can sing with balls, or hit those schoolgirl highs we metal fans know and love. The spotlight remains on the entire band, and not a particular member.
Every track is a winner, but the showstopper has to be "By My Hand", with one of the catchiest and best-sung choruses of recent memory. Second place goes to "Transfixed" which sounds like a caffeinated-DIO number. Opening track "At Night" should be called "Phew": at that point the listener knows that he or she (but most likely he) didn't waste twenty bucks on a sub-par release. You'd expect a song called "Axes & Honor" to sound like SPINAL TAP-on tap, but instead the band rocks with epic force, amps cranked to 11, or perhaps even 12.
Overall, a savory release from these metal saviors. TWISTED TOWER DIRE deliver a great power metal album, in a time when power and metal are generally lacking. On the first listen, you'll like the album, but may wonder why I'm so enthusiastic. On the second, third, and fourth listens (eventually you'll lose count), you'll become a believer.
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