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RAM: Sudden Impact
RAM - Sudden Impact

2004-05-21

The eighties saw heavy metal reaching heights, which were never truly repeated, such giants as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Scorpions and Accept ruled the world, and the sky was clear and sunny.
These days have been clouded by the darkened depression of the Seattle movement, and later by nu-metal, genres that had a bigger appeal, and took over the throne that true metal once sat on.

Bands like Ram are on a quest to re-claim that throne, and I bless them for that.
Using the ram figure, another wink to Priest’s classic ”Ram It Down”, the band combines classic heavy metal music and imagery to create a fantastic throw back to the glory days of heavy metal.
The EP opens with the crushing “Sudden Impact” swiftly delving into Judas Priest territory, the vocalist doing a mean impersonation of Rob Halford during the chorus, the band play it tight and loud, relying on a not-so-polished sound, yet on a rawer, more energetic one.

Judgment and punishment has something of an Iron Maiden feel, this time the vocals sounding amazingly like Nevermore’s Warrel Dane during his Sanctuary days,
Machine Invaders has the world’s cheesiest, most metallic lyrics possible, and a great tune, with a middle section that shows off the technical prowess of the band members, the guitars especially, classic heavy metal all the way.
Blessed To Be Cursed is a furious number, lending a bit from the earlier material by Pretty Maids and such, again, well done and dripping with metallic crunch.
The final track, black path, starts off with some keyboards, interwoven into a more atmospheric song, that ends the EP with a pleasant taste.

I can hardly wait for the complete album to be released, it should be an old scholars’ treat.

Alon Miasnikov



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