Downburst eardrums!
‘’Arrrgggghhhhhh!!!’’, ‘’Aiiieeeeeeeee!’’, ‘’Urrrrgggghhhhhhh’’, exclaimed the budding (unpaid writer, he adds hopingly that one day either Classic Rock Mag or Metal Hammer will someday sit up and take notice and hire me on the spot for some desperately needed humorous reviews on the melodic rock genre)writer, having to listen to a heavily laden voiceovers promo cd. Only two of the ten tracks on offer avoid this listeners hell in headphones. The other eight tracks must have the voiceover at least three times per song.
‘’Youre listening to ‘Falling Spiral Down’ taken from the new ‘Brainstorm’ album ‘Downburst’, out January two thousand eight on Metal Blade records’’, and so on and so forth for another seven bastardo songs.
Now I know this protects the band from illegal share websites, but bleeding hell Metal Blade, put the statement in once, and not in a place where the soddin’ guitar solo is. The only upside is that the lady in question does have a cute US of A accent.
So to the band. Formed in 1989 by Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric on guitars and Dieter Bernert on drums, BRAINSTORM released their first demo “Hand Of Doom” after one year of existence. Followed by many shows and several compilations and demos (“Heart Of Hate” / 1992; "The Fifth Season” / 1994) the band signed their first recording contract in 1997.
The self-produced debut album “Hungry” was an immediate winner with fans and journalists alike, enabling BRAINSTORM to go on their first European Tour. In 1999 the vocalist position became vacant, but the band managed to fill it with, Andy B. Franck. Finally everything was falling into place, and the band signed a contract with Metal Blade Records. Now, after 2 1/2 years of wait, BRAINSTORM have recorded their long awaited seventh album “Downburst” with producers Sascha Paeth (acclaimed Kamelot producer) and Miro, which was released in January 2008.
Voice over aside, Brainstorm have a great album on their hands. Comparisons come thick and fast in the form of Judas Priest and Queensryche. This is mainly down to vocalist Andy Franck who switches with ease from Rob Halford to Geoff Tate in his style.
All the songs on offer have a melodic tone to them, with soaring melodies and chunky riffs aplenty. For those who prefer their metal on the heavier side, Brainstorm deliver this in truck loads. The two ‘voiceover free songs’ are my faves for obvious reasons, but US lady aside, ‘Falling Spiral Down’ and Redemption...’ are killers! The cover looks as if it was stolen from the arcade game 'Assasins Creed'
“Downburst” will not only satisfy the needs of their followers, it will surprise many and even convince the non-believers! (ME INCLUDED)All songs show the incredible songwriting talent of the band members and prove once more why this band has been up and running for over a decade now and for sure is here to stay! The songs range from fast, hard and double-kick-driven bastards to epic soundscapes to melodic metal hymns. “Downburst” is a beautiful beast, a real ball of steel but also an emotional masterpiece with no fillers... just killers!
Please Metal Blade • send me a proper version next time!