2006-12-12
It's quite logical that Vanize's main claim for fame is their vocalist, Peter Dirkschneider, brother to one of metal's most acclaimed vocalists Udo Dirkschneider (
Accept,
U.D.O), and since his vocal delivery is very reminiscent of his brother's at times, the similarities are quite easy to comprehend.
Formly in Danton, Dirkschneider has been active in Vanize since 1989, and the group has released three albums prior to this one, all of them are pure German heavy metal, quite heavy, melodic, and bombastic. I only had a chance to hear the band's last album – "High Proof" several years ago and was taken by it, so I had high hopes for this one, 6 years after "High Proof", this is the band's fourth release.
Dirkschneider's voice is still the main force driving the band, his delivery somewhere in between his brother's and
Gamma Ray's Kai Hansen's, he has a good range and is a good focal point for the songs. The music itself is still catchy heavy metal with strong choruses and professional guitar work.
Opener "Gods Of Revenge" starts off things nicely, a fast and heavy track with a real catchy chorus, this is classic Vanize. While "Way Down" is not as strong, it’s the third and fourth tracks which again nail the right feel.
"Devil" is one of the strongest tracks here, with a solid guitar riff and fun backing vocals."The Calling" starts out with some keyboard carpets before going into a good mid-pace metal anthem, the song features some of Dirkschneider's highest vocal range, and some interesting bass licks too. "I Will Survive" isn’t a Donna Summer cover, it's one of the fastest metal tracks here, the chorus isn’t as catchy as most of the stuff here, but it's still pretty good stuff.
One of my favorites here was "Land Of Desire", a well crafted metal cut with a solid bass-drum rhythm and a strong choir.
It's comforting to know that true German heavy metal isn’t dead; bands like Vanize keep it alive in album such as this one, catchy, grandiose, and well crafted. Good work by these guys indeed.
Alon Miasnikov
