These German’s are at it again…giving listeners infectious heavy metal with a touch of speed thrown in for good measure. This is album number three and the momentum keeps going and shows no sign of slowing down. The only time I have seen them live was in a tiny pub in London on a bill that was quite different to what Stallion are about; but on that night, the energy was immense. I am pretty sure that’s where I heard ‘No Mercy’. Well, if I did not then it’s really easy to get into as I am singing along with it from the first play through. ‘Waking the Demons’ maybe more of a straight metal monster and ‘Time to Reload’ a hard rocking Krokus and Bullet-esq killer track, but one thing remains is the high octane enthusiasm transferred to the album recording which continues into a similar track in ‘All In’. The difference with this is the pick-up in pace towards the latter part of the song, and you just know it’s coming, Stallion cannot stay slower for that long!
The artwork is a touch straight forward, black and white and to the point, is this a sign of the band moving in a darker direction? Not so as displayed here. The warmth from the Hellforge Studio mix gives this album a smoother feel. The band once again handled the production and engineering themselves. This additional pair of hands had yielded more depth. There are studio debuts on bass and guitar oh and there is a ballad…The seven-plus minute track ‘Die with Me’ is a touch haunting at the start with a phrasing not dissimilar to G’N’R’s ‘Civil War’ before the epic guitar harmonies and vocal scream makes this their own. The chorus reminds me of the epic vocal range of Steelheart’s Miljenko Matijevic but the verse is a touch rougher around the edges. One thing, with the guitar solo and the melody, Stallion have constructed a great tune here and modernised the metal ballad with their own signature take on how it should be presented, slide guitar an’ all.
‘Brain Dead’ has a strange timing, a touch more than double time, then it fits back into Stallion normality. Quite an odd approach, but it is a smooth transition, I am simply surprised by the phenomenon if I am honest which goes into a thrasher towards the end with about four styles in one track. This thrashier element continues with ‘Merchants of Fear’ whilst the warming, comforting Stallion style is present on the closer ‘Meltdown’.
It’s crazy, each time I listen to this album I find something different to shout out about, much more than their previous releases, and so each time I change my thoughts. So, I shall quit whilst I am ahead, this is to date their most varied and in-depth releases, its enjoyable, it takes on all styles, it’s refreshing and delightful to listen too.
(8/10 Paul Maddison)
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