A healthy dose of melodic metal
It feels like the genre's of metal and power metal have muddied somewhat, with basic metal bands being lumped in with the power metal crowd. Primal Fear, Brainstorm and Firewind have been described, in other sections of the press, as power metal, but I think they're just metal, plain and simple. Hell, any band that sounds like Judas Priest has to be just metal, right? There are many similarities between the two genres, but I think Finland's Masterstroke certainly have both feet in the metal camp and only go to power metal's house at the weekend.
'Sleep' is the band's second full-length effort and is the first genuine treat, for this reviewer at least, of the year so far (mind you, it is only Feburary). With Brainstorm and Firewind both releasing tasty albums, it only seems fitting that Masterstoke join the party with this mini masterpiece. Yes, the band are melodic, yes, they also have a permanent keyboardist, but the band just have that extra bit of grit and teeth that power metal often lacks. This is primarily down to the chunky production of Jussi Kulomaa and the quality riff work of Markus Kekoni. It also helps that the singer is a good find as well. Niko Rauhala, although not a falsetto screamer, has power and dynamics in his voice fitting perfectly around the music without falling into any of the cliché traps.
'Killing Creatures' is a steamroller of a tune and opens their account without the need for speed or shouting. 'Under Our Command' kicks off with some guitar work that Arch Enemy would be proud of, and a riff that drips with attitude. And this is what I like about 'Sleep'. It is the guitar licks and riffs that define the songs rather than just a selection of chord sequences. They give each song an identity and prevent them all from sounding alike. 'Being Me' and 'Silent' all hammer home like an iron weight wrapped in a fluffy sock. 'The Circle' and 'Another Failure' are great tunes. Both utilise the keyboards well without being overpowered by them, instead adding to the wall of noise effect.
The more I listened to 'Sleep' the more I got hooked. It's one of those albums that has more to it then you initially realise, not in an Aryeon kind of way, but the songs, melodies, breaks are well worked and you're singing along before you can say, 'Are these guys from Finland as well?' On the downside, the idea for the title track sounds like it's been ripped from Nevermore's 'Dead Heart In A Dead World'. It's a decent tune, but it's difficult to get past the beginning. Whether this was done on purpose or not, I'm sure the band will tell me. This is the only thing I can find wrong with this album, except there needs to be lots more guitar solos because they just weren't long enough, but that's just my personal preference. Or some keyboard/guitar duelling, I don't mind. The only way the band can improve on 'Sleep' is to write even greater material, on this evidence, I'm sure this won't be far away.
For fans of any of the above bands and would've fitted perfectly on the Prog Power bill.