THEOCRACY - Ghost Ship
January 20, 2017, 7 years ago
(Ulterium)
Athens, Georgia Christian power metal band Theocracy has outdone itself on its fourth full-length album Ghost Ship. There’s a ton of quality within the ten tracks on Ghost Ship, as every one has something stellar to offer. Whether it be Smith’s soaring vocal harmonies, memorable choruses, catchy riffs or blazing guitar leads, Theocracy has all the bases covered. Smith possesses a voice similar to Stryper’s Michael Sweet and is able to soar in the higher range with ease. In addition, Theocracy’s Christian lyrical content isn’t overbearing or preachy, but rather encouraging and reflective.
Opener “Paper Tiger” begins with a fiery drum fill to kickstart the upbeat Euro power metal attack. The energetic pace and huge Helloween-ish vocal harmonies on the chorus helps get the album off to a good start. The title track’s menacing riffs and ominous melodies accompany the hooky singalong chorus perfectly. Smith & Co. tap into their thrashy side on tracks “Stir The Embers” and “Castaway,” while “A Call To Arms” boasts some classic ’80s metal riffing in the vein of Accept and Dokken. However, as commendable as the epic 10-plus minute closer “Easter” is, it sounds like two separate songs and doesn’t flow as well as the rest of the tracks. With this only one minor complaint, Ghost Ship is proof that Theocracy is onto something good here.
