Warcry – Revolucion – 4/5
http://www.mediafire.com/d
http://www.mediafire.com/d
This band once again unites the concept of NWOBHM and power to result in something that carries both a force behind it, as well as the melodic riff work we would come to expect. The opening track shows the bands capabilities in a perfect marriage of melodic guitar riff work (and a brilliant solo might I add) and chorus that remains incredibly catchy despite being sung entirely in Spanish (like the rest of the album). It rivals Riots “Fire Down Under” (song), or UFO’s “Rock Bottom” in ability to find yourself listening to it for the 10th time that day and still not get tired of it. Its simply a shame the rest of the album doesn’t match up.
The bassist is rarely audible, and when he is, he tends to work playing a VERY simple riff to accentuate the work done by the drummer. The drummer is good, he varies things but is largely there just for the rhythm – The majority of the sound unmistakably comes from the vocalist and guitarist, but this is by no means a bad thing, as both should be considered top flight in ability.
The vocalist is much more on the NWOBHM style of things, with a far deeper and grittier sound than we’d expect compared to say, Maiden or Iced Earth, but what makes him unique is the language he used. Often ill say language doesn’t matter as I don’t listen to the lyrics much anyway – it’s the tone and emotion behind the voice that catches my attention. Here, id go as far as to say it is a benefit, as it adds a unique twist to their sound, separating them from the classic greats. And yes, often he succeeds in conveying a sense of power, aggression, and emotion.
The guitarist is where the power influence comes from, particularly in the solo’s (though some riffs show clear influence as well, e.g. El Cazador). The riffs are often relatively simple, so as not to detract from the vocalist but perfectly fitting to provide the tone required. The solo’s are however where he has his chance to shine. They are impeccable. They have speed, neo-classical influence without sounding he’s just playing the scales up and down, little wankery (playing fast for the same of it), their not overly long and every song contains one, if not more. There aren’t many guitarists with this level of consistently high quality ability in writing solo’s – for most of the great solo’s you need to look back 20 years to the Schenker, Rhoads, Blackmore or Gilmour. They aren’t quite that level of quality, but they’re definitely getting there.
The whole album ends up being a little hit or miss. There are no weak tracks as such, only some superb tracks, and some merely good ones. Its got plenty of variety, in aggression, riff style (lots of palm muting/pedal noting?), even the odd bit of symphonic, or acoustic guitars, however, there is little here that hasn’t been done before. Its simply done bloody well. Anyone thinking their old Priest or Maiden cd’s are perhaps getting played a little too much would do well to get this.
Highlights: La ultima Esperanza, La prision invisible, Abisimo
By T. Bawden
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