2006-10-04
Italy's
Anthenora are mainly known for being the band
Iron Maiden drummer Nicko Mcbrain appears with in his Total Mcbrain Damage tours in Europe, but the band has been spewing melodic thrash/power metal since 1990, yet only producing 2 full lengths during that time.
Soulgrinder is the logical continuation of 2003's The Last Command, which I also
reviewed here, its still powerful, almost thrash-like power metal, with melodic vocals that retain an aggressive edge, a-la
Grave Digger, the music still has the Iron Maiden riffs planted deep within, most if the time, the material here works really well.
The opening Dawn Of Blood is a typical Anthenora track, fast and aggressive, Iron Maiden hooks and melody lines, this is probably heavier than most Italian power metal bands you know, and it gets heavier with the second track – Order Of Hate, with thrash like verse riffs.
The title track is somewhat more sophisticated than the ones that precede it, vocalist Luigi Bonansea has a strong voice but his raw approach might scare off some melodic power fans, he certainly is one of the heavier elements on this album. Hundred Knives is another stand out track, with clean guitars and symphonic passages, it feels a bit more progressive than most of material.
All-in-all, this continues the band's strong output, it might prove too heavy to some power metal fans, bringing to mind such current bands as Sabaton, but it's definitely a high quality release with some strong tracks inside.
Alon Miasnikov
