These Swedes have been top drawer all the way through their career, after a 4-year break in releases; ‘Fatal Encounter’ is ready for the world. It’s a striking album, and the infused logo returns after an albums break. The cover itself might remind of albums by Killer (Bel) and Boston.
Whereas ‘Across the Line’ was a real “metal” release, here the band have really constructed their music and do not categorise themselves. Helped by a line-up change, the sound is more mature, melodic and cross many paths along the way. ‘One By One’ sounds very vibrant, it reminds me of Cacophony or even Yngwie Malmsteen duelling guitar work with the melody of say Pretty Maids. The production is clean; the solo work on this track is all about the neck pick up in terms of tone, with the style brandishing memories or virtuoso guitar players of yester year. ‘Let the Kingdom Burn’ is slower, more of a traditional slow gallop, a sound I truly adore. The vocals stretch into damn fine AOR territory, holding precision and power. This definitely highlights Air Raid’s maturing approach. There is a lot of foundation, less reliance of the term NWoTHM, they are not part of that scene, why would you want to categorise, and this is excellent material. The band may have been at this game for years, but this release shows a cataclysmic shift in quality and verging into longer tunes, and it sounds like fun.
‘Sinfona’ is a symphonic instrumental, and then you have the metal monster reminiscent of earlier Air Raid material coming along with ‘In Solitude’. The guitar gallops through some inspiring and soulful guitar work, I would compare this to the likes of Hittman and Leatherwolf; you can sing along with ease upon first spin and those subtle synths that are appearing are very complimentary. ‘Edge of a Dream’ draws my own comparison to early Stryper, with the famed, unique Scandinavian sound. The vocals and guitar work sit very comfortably. However, have no fear, this is not a pipe and slippers release, but do not expect pure bullet belts and leather.
‘Lionheart’ has the tempo raging again, full of virtuoso riffing, especially 2/3 of the way through this track. ‘Pegasus Fantasy’ goes down the path of melodic power metal, but still closes the album in fine form. Opener ‘Thunderblood’ may start the release, but it does not tell the full story of what you are about to hear or the magic that you get, even if I find this inspired by Riot’s ‘Thundersteel’ era. For consistency, ‘See the Light’ will be of comfort to long time Air Raid fans, but what you have to get your head around is the total package is a change of mind set and a massive step up in quality song writing.
On a personal level, I much preferred ‘Across the Line’, however, I have rated this album higher from my last review as it is simply a magical release, objectively, I cannot deny that. ‘Fatal Encounter’ see’s Air Raid launch themselves into a class of their own, they are at the top table, and sound like they are enjoying what they do.
(9/10 Paul Maddison)
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