| CD REVIEW Whyte Ash |
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Band : Whyte Ash Swedish band Whyte Ash come across with a definite verve and energy, but ultimately falls prey to such things as unoriginality and cliché. More variety wouldn't hurt, but there's lots of crunch and little repetition of themes or rhythms, making the album an enjoyable and worthy one. Sometimes old-fashioned, sometimes dark but always dynamic and powerful. So, musically we talk about a classic heavy metal album that borders on the early eighties days, bringing such acts to a listener´s mind like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Accept, Lizzy Borden, Saxon, Riot and Helloween. Opening numbers “I will remain part I” and “I burn” are perfect examples of this. Straight ahead and square metal riffs and aggressive high singing with an extremely focused chorus are all rounded off by a vintage sounding guitar lead. I say vintage because it brings to mind NWOBHM with its harmonies and textures. Fantastic songs and it does set the bar quite high from the get go and unfortunately not every song on here can match its level. The guitar tone in a song called "The end" is also somewhat familiar; reminding me of both Candlemass and Uli John Roth in turn. Even when they slow down a bit, as on “I will remain part II” the band still has a forceful presence. Whyte Ash have done such a good, but not great metal album that will surely be loved and adored by everyone who just happens to dig the 80s era in the classic heavy rock/metal sound. You simply cannot go wrong them, just believe me. 85/100 Cosmicmasseur. |