ALBUM REVIEW: Brainstorm - A Plague of Rats - Reigning Phoenix Music
If you remember a time when a senile president worked with both sides of the aisle and held the respect of many across the political spectrum, you remember a time when metal was big and operatic. A time when Power Metal ruled the land, hair was huge, shoulders had pads, and autotune was a terrible idea not yet inflicted on the industry. Brainstorm's Plague of Rats (Reigning Phoenix Music) brings all that back with huge everything - huge guitars, huge vocals, huge themes, huge enjoyment.
Yeah, I enjoyed this. A lot.
The opening track (creatively named "Intro") spends a full minute sixteen setting the table, getting us ready for the glory that is to come. "Beyond Enemy Lines" brings both guitarists, a driving drumbeat, and Andy B. Franck's ridiculously catchy vocals, reminiscent of, be definitively not Bruce Dickinson. I could compare it to Saxon or Manowar or even the better Spinal Tap tunes, but none of that could adequately describe the perfect harmony between guitars and vocals. As much as I love Iron Maiden and could never speak an ill word about them, but on rare occasions, Dickinson's opera training made him seem slightly separate from the sound. Franck's vocals are slightly earthier, and again, perfectly tuned to the music.
"Garuda (Eater of Snakes)" follows, a slower, but definitively epic song more Metal Church, than Maiden. "False Memories" adds some Thrash elements to the Power foundation. Not a lot, but enough to maintain Brainstorm's claim to having a unique place in the Power Metal sub-genre. I mean, hell, "Your Soul That Lingers In Me" has huge Kansas feels - they're great in their own right.
Metalcore fans should at the very least pick up "From Hell." The punch and drive combined with growls and power vocals make for a terrific four-plus-minute face melt. The fact that Brainstorm is from Switzerland likely helps in maintaining their sound in the face of America's current infatuation with -core.
"The Dark of Night" keeps the party going, with a cute little denouement of near-acoustic guitar. Lyrically, they don't really stray from standard metal tropes, including elements of epic mythos, horror, and violence. Given my deep and abiding love for the genre, I don't really care, but this isn't the album if you're looking for deep introspective and personal lyrics.
Brainstorm's a great name, for as much as there's a core power formula, they've incorporated a fitting melange of elements and styles befitting the results of a open-minded likely weed-fueled brainstorm session.
Buy the album here: https://shopus.reigningphoenixmusic.com/collections/brainstorm
10 / 10
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