Brainstorm – Memorial Roots

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While Andy B. Franck continues to prove that, along with Damian Wilson, he’s the best vocalist in metal today by alternating between his two outstanding bands Symphorce and Brainstorm, this time the new Brainstorm offering has come first, where on the last cycle it was second. So two back-to-back Brainstorm albums co-inciding with a rise in their notoriety and a tour with Primal Fear all seems to look encouraging for the band founded in 1989 by remaining original members Torsten Ihlenfel, Milan Loncaric (both guitars) and Dieter Bernert (drums). Memorial Roots is a little let down by the mix, however. Not as heavy as the last album Downburst, the guitars are buried in the mix at the low end while the drums and very-prominent bass are noticeably up-front. Franck’s vocals are allowed to shine but lack of a thick, heavy guitar sound severely hampers the power the album can deliver. Opener Forsake What I Believe is typical recent Brainstorm in the vein of Fire Walk With Me and Worlds Are Comin’ Through, but where tracks like Cross The Line try hard to lead with a big riff, the weak guitar sound makes it sound almost like an under-produced demo. There are some great, classic Brainstorm songs here, and live they will show their true potential, but the final product here lets them down.

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Heavy Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Brainstorm