The fifth album by the unique German A Cappella Metal sextet, 5 singers supported by a drummer, contains 9 original songs and the obligatory cover versions which they are better known for.
The title track “Dawn of the Brave” is a lyricless intro, rather than instrumental intro, if you get where I’m going with this. Basti taking care of drums and percussion, Ross on higher rakkatakka vocals, Stef on lower rakkatakka vocals and Ike on bass vocals, while “Fight for your Life” also has Sly doing male lead and Inga female lead vocals. The main thing to notice with the songs is that they are much smoother and less harsh sounding, with the warmth of well-trained voices complementing each other with melodic harmonies.
Stylistically they are a symphonic to power metal band and “To the Mountains” showcases that perfectly with its ultrafast kick drumming and the catchy rakkatakkas ploughing full speed ahead to accompany Inga’s beautiful singing, complete with over the top lead rakkatakka wails.
It’s well worth going to their site to check out the video for “Badaboom” as it rather well done, as is the song with its mellower pace and simpler harmonies showing that sometime less can work better when arranged well.
For anyone that’s managed to survive the last 27 New Years without hearing “The Final Countdown”, they’ll hear it now for the first time, for the rest of us… Well let’s just say everything sounds like you remember it should, from the opening guitar riff, sans guitar, to the main lead but with slightly different lead vocals.
“Steel Breaker” is a nice middle of the road rock song, very early 80’s NWBHM AFIAC with plenty of dun dun duns and gratuitous lead. On the other hand “The Awakening” would give any of the female fronted metal bands of the last decade more than a run for their money as Inga hits those high notes without any effort.
A far more choral affair and ballad like is “The Other Ones” as it slowly weaves an intricate tale about superheroes, which is the omnipresent theme running through the album.
I think that Jim Steinman’s operatic rock style translates exceptionally well to a cappella and “Holding out for a Hero” is a great example of this. Then you have “Unholy” which has a slightly poppy to feel to it, or maybe that’s just the bouncy allegro way it comes across.
“My Utopia” rumbles on at full gallop until it reaches the bridge where it mellows out a little to let the lead come to the fore, then fades out quietly for the slowest track on the album.
I kept thinking to myself that “Into the West” could quite easily be used on one of the Middle Earth films, only to find out that it was. 10 years ago. I’m certain that Annie Lennox can’t find fault with this rendition and in many ways this version is nicer with all the vocal harmonies as opposed to the symphonic orchestra.
Possibly one of Sabbath’s most covered tracks, “Paranoid”, is now given the a cappella treatment and it comes out rather unscathed. It has a rather relaxed pace allowing for the familiarity of the song to shine through unhindered and invites you to sing along, because everyone wants to anyway.
Sure A Cappella metal may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but unless you give it a shot you’ll never know. Besides, even if you don’t like it, it’s great for a laugh if nothing else.
(8/10 Marco Gaminara)
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