DUNGEON - One Step Beyond
March 31, 2005, 19 years ago
(Limb)
Man, that sure sounds like classic Accept with a European power metal vocalist in place of Udo's unique warble. Wait, isn't that Motley Crue's 'Live Wire' riff given a power metal overhaul ? Ah, there's Saxon. Damned if that ain't a thinly disguised variation of 'The Star Spangled Banner'. And on it goes. As you can infer from above, listening to One Step Beyond is very much a 'spot the influence' type affair, so if originality is what you're looking for, this is not the place to visit. For those that don't mind imbibing in derivative material, there are a few positives that can be noted. Vocalist Lord Tim's marriage of Joey Belladonna's melody and Bruce Dickinson's acrobatics ain't too shabby and the production standards are also up to snuff. Other than that though, it's hard to pinpoint anything that stands out about this disc. In these days when releases continue to flood the metal market unabated, a band shouldn't be happy simply issuing a competent, redundant album. One step beyond is indeed required, but not taken here.
