BRAINSTORM - Metus Mortis
January 4, 2002, 22 years ago
(Metal Blade)
Don't know if it's just me but the opening tracks on Metus Mortis do absolutely nothing for me; it's just me sitting in front of my stereo eating a big plate of "so what?" Then track three, 'Shadowland', kicks in and my heart swells with relief, because THIS is what I expected from the band that kicked my ass years ago with a slab of metal called Unholy. With singer Andy B. Franck firmly in place on Brainstorm's fourth album - his second - Metus Mortis honours all the promises that were made on Unholy and left unanswered by their last platter, Ambiguity. Call it power metal with tendencies leaning towards thrash, the German quintet have become riff monsters with an ear for melody, some of the songs relying solely on Franck's voice to succeed ('Shadowland', 'Into The Never'), while using very subtle but effective orchestration on others to add colour ('Checkmate In Red', 'Hollow Hideaway'). It's very hard for me to pick my faves 'cuz they keep changing with my mood, and that's a great thing. Pure and simple, something for fans of no-frills heavy metal as it was meant to be.
