Three albums in for Beast In Black and I reckon the whole Beast In Black vs Battle Beast thing can be easily laid to rest. Since guitarist Anton Kabanen left the Battle Beat ranks back in 2015, he took with him the core song-writing style the band had back then and formed a new band in his image. Anyone who was a fan of Battle Beast’s earlier catalogue now has Beast In Black. Whilst Battle Beast have wandered off down their new, more commercial melodic path, Beast In Black go from strength to strength, honing and refining the style that is truly their own.
Sometimes, there is an intrigue surrounding a band’s new album to see if they have developed or changed in some way, but with Beast In Black I feel a huge sense of relief that we have another intense, fun, bombastic slab of 80’s inspired Symphonic Melodic Power Metal, that picks up right there – exactly where it predecessor left off in 2019. Those quirky little synth parts sparkle and dance around the crunching guitars as they should. Thunderstone drummer Atte Polakangas powers every track perfectly, as he has since his introduction in 2018 and musically this is as solid and tight a Metal unit as you could want.
The vocals…well, he was certainly a find wasn’t he? Kabanen must have been incredulous at his luck when he first heard this guy, Yannis Papadopoulos, belting out the vocals on his songs! OK, on that debut there were a few slightly unnerving moments when he sounded more feminine than Noora herself, but the point was proved back then and nowadays you can hear a singer who does exactly what every song demands, perfect every time. The choruses are anthemic and memorable, just as they have to be, but the journey the song takes you on to get there is always interesting and unpredictable. Whether it’s via nifty samples, powerful guitar, soaring vocals or even synth drums, the arrangements are always immensely uplifting and engaging.
What else is there to say? Well, as is now the tradition with Beast In Black, there are a couple of cover versions to round out the album. Last time we had Motorhead and Robert Tepper, this time we can enjoy a resounding rendition of Manowar’s Battle Hymn…with keyboards (steady there Manowar faithful)! This is every bit as epic and powerful as the original, but brought up to date with added Finnish finesse that makes the track fit in nicely with the rest of the album. And check out yet another string to Papadopoulos’ vocal bow, with a sterling facsimile of Eric Adams at times. And how about a bit of a Michael Jackson impression too? Well, that’s coming your way on ‘They Don’t Care About Us’, MJ’s 1996 hit. To be honest Jacko has never sounded so Metal, with a dash of Alice Cooper, thrown in and few must-do “hee-hee”s and “hooo”s to seal the deal. What a great, fun way to finish another excellent album by what is now a unique Metal band. Did you like their last one? Yes? Then you’re gonna love this one!
(9/10 Andy Barker)
Leave a Reply