ANTHEM - ENGRAVED (2017) JAPAN

These sons of the setting sun never cease to amaze me. A few days ago i came across with ANTHEM's new release, the "Engraved" new album and i must say, if you're in the neoclassical genre with lots of classic rock influencies, well you'll love this one. Graham Bonnett and Don Airey were at one time part of this japanese band, so if you're suspicious about their quality, well you've got another thing coming. Akio Shimizu is a hell of a shredder, one of the best around the world, so expect the unexpected, melody, speed and insanity until you drop. This new album brings not much of novelties, some bad boy songs, again a trend among the big acts; such a waste; and a follow up on their sound, still heavy has hell. Again the only problem is,... they sing in japanese with some english words here and there. I've said it many times and i'll say it again, why not 2 versions of the record, one in their mother language and another in english? The vocalist sings the english phrases with a very good pronounce, so there's no excuse there. Damn, i'll sing them if they want it, this is to good just to be confined to japan, but it's their choice, maybe the expansion experience with Graham Bonnett wasn't very well succeeded around 2000, like other japanese acts such as EZO (Produced by Gene Simmons), LOUDNESS (with Mike Vescera), VOW WOW (with Neil Murray), ...
Okay, this is heavy metal at it's best and worthy of at least a listining and "Far Away" deserves at least more than ten listenings. Very well crafted songs, excelent musicianship, and still their trade mark of writing songs with verse, bridge, verse bridge, chorus, solo; is still captivating. Again an instrumental song like in many of their past albums shows Akio at his best. "Sacred Trace" delivers a very eighties sound, like Impellitteri or MSG, a must for the hard and heavy fanatics. No ballads this time, just full frontal attack.
Lov'em or leav'em, but don't hate them, their too good for that.
By Mcleod!

SAMMY BERELL - PASSION DREAMS (2017)

Is Yngwie Malmsteen dead? I don't suppose so. as a matter of fact i truly hope not, he is my favorite guitar player, and i wish that when i'm gone i could take his music with me, ....
So who is Sammy Berell? A katcopy of Yngwie? Many would say so. But if were Sammy to be Yngwie's son, i believe he would be legitimated. Well, the things one must try to understand. But let's talk about this newcomer to the world stage of metal.
Sammy Berell is the new sensation swedish guitar hero, and for hid musical guidance he decided that to pick up were Yngwie stopped in the late 90's was a good idea. If i presented you this record without you seeing the cover or credits, you would surely say that Yngwie was back to his old form with his old bandmates, such is the perfection of this eximious guitar shredder. I don't know if Yngwie allowed Sammy to use some of is melodies and riffs on this set of songs, but YJM records "fire & ice" and "seventh sign" are the reference in here. (midnight flyer = teaser; and with the same vocalist too)!!!
But Sammy went a bit further, less classical and more melodically comercial, expansive and catchy, he delievers a powerful and yet refined work.
Remember Mike Vescera and Goran Edman? That's right, they are the voices in this record, and my friends, they still have it, and i'm not fovouring neither one of them, powerful voices after more than 20 years. They deliever a nuclear assault on your ears! A voice explosion.
This record, "passion dreams", is complied of 13 songs, with one instrumental. "War", the last theme is an instrumental cut in the vein of "perpetual or eclipse". The record starts like Yngwie's "seventh sign or magnum opus"; taking on the world by storm with Vescera delivering a tsunami. Them comes Goran Edman with his trademark performance on his time with Malmsteen. Ten songs with Vescera and only two with Edman, means that Vescera's time with YJM is the orientation of this record.
From the beggining to the end, everything is Malmsteen copied, but in the kid's defense, he nailed it! If YJM gave up, Sammy Berell, pick up the flag an kept on going. Congratulations, hoping to hear your next job like, yesterday!
Daniel Flores, was the producer, drummer and keyboardist on this record with Sammy as his wingman behind the control table.
It´s Heavy, powerful, melodic and neo-classical enough to take you back to the future. That's right, taking on the past to re-write the future. This year's revelation as guitar players is concerned, an amazing shredder!
P.S.: Sammy copies YJM for a fact, can't deny it, but not in everything, everyone has his own trademark and YJM is more than unique. He is sharp and insidious, insolent, classy and almost snobiest, and that can't be copied. On his side, Sammy is more commercially driven an plays by the book, and i believe it's more than enough to do the job, because others tried to do it just to crash and burn.
for the Neo-classical maniacs a true acomplishment, for the rest, well, give it a go, you'll like it the end.
McLeod Has Spoken!


Track List:

    Judgement day ---------- (Vescera)
    Midnight flyer ------------- (Edman)
    Memories never die ---- (Vescera)
    Little sinner -------------- (Vescera)
    Red light Eyes ---------- (Vescera)
    Passion dreams -------- (Vescera)
    Star ------------------------ (Vescera)
    Crown of thorns --------- (Edman)
    King of Kings ------------ (Vescera)
    Drakkar ------------------- (Vescera)
    Sacrifice ------------------ (Vescera)
    Starlight ------------------- (Vescera)
    War (Instrumental)

Musicians:

    Sammy Berell - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Co- Producer
    Mike Vescera - Vocals
    Goran Edman - Vocals
    Daniel Flores - Drums, Keyboards, Producer