Customer Reviews

Ambiguity

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

They are back. And now with Andy B. Franck (Ex-Ivanhoe, -Symphorce, the new shouter who lends the new material a certain splendour. Heavy guitars, a lot of double-bass-attacks, impetuous way of playing make of this record one of best CDs of the year.

Incredible. This is Heavy Metal at it's finest. Old school Metal done the way it's meant to be done. If you're a fan of any old school Metal, you'll love Brainstorm. I have to say that "Ambiguity" takes me back to the 80's style of Metal. It's a mixture of Iron Maiden / Priest / and some Nevermore....

The production is great, and the songs here really pull you in with their lyrics, and overall power. Great CD. I also recommend Brainstorm's "Soul Temptation", another neck breaker!!!!

BUY IT NOW!!!

Given the recent resurgence of heavy metal, many record labels have gone on signing frenzies, grabbing up any kind of band with a gimmick or a hook, resulting in the overaturation of such goofs that are mirror images of already established, talented acts. Just as a few years ago when grunge came calling, signalling the end of many a fine metal ensemble, these trendy bounce bands will find an unpleasant demise with little long term commercial viability. It is within this realm, as Obi Wan Kenobi once said, "you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villiany: we must be cautious! "

Well, fear not, and throw caution into the wind and take a voyage with Brainstorm, a promising European outfit that display all the required elements of power crunching audio delight. "Crush Depth" opens the affair with driving guitars and bottom heavy ryhthmic pulsating, chock full of vocal might and a shouting chorus leading the listener to instant recognition of a new contender in the metal circle. The quality continues with the galloping riffs of "Tear Down the Walls" and the headbanging "Arena", both making use of mid paced thrash style beats and harmonized guitars that provide melody without sacrificing abrasiveness. "Beyond my Destiny" switches gears and is a magnificent power ballad that Queensryche would have been proud to have recorded when they were still metal, and provides the vehicle for which singer Andy Franck bellows to the world that he has the pipes to contend for the heir apparent of vocal supremacy...what an upper range he displays throughout the album, with a near perfect combination of powerful roars and quiet emotion.

Another powerful moment is the middle eastern themed "Maharaja Palace" which riffs along like a snake creeping to the commands of it's charmer, waiting to strike out from the speakers with it's dual guitar venom. Admittedly, not quite the same effect as Kamelot's "Nights of Arabia", but mesmerising nonetheless. And speaking of Kamelot, Sasha Paeth, the producer of their magnificent new album "the Fourth Legacy," and Miro, who contributed keyboards, lends a hand to Brainstorm as well, so it is no surprise that Brainstorm reminds me a little of a Kamelot with more pre-thrash oriented guitar textures and rhythms.

Brainstorm has given fans of late 80's power metal something to be hungry for, and hopefully, this release will benefit from enough hype in the underground to sustain more long term interest. Personally, I don't want this new wave of melodic mid tempo thrashing to go away like it did some years ago, and newer bands like Brainstorm and Eidolon, along with familiar mainstays Iced Earth, In Flames, Nevermore, and Lefay (definitely check them out! ) will carry on the tradition of Metal Church, Overkill, "good" Metallica, and the like. For fans of that type of metal, Brainstorm is worth checking out.

With this release, Brainstorm steals my "surprise of the year award" away from labelmates Jacobs Dream. Out of seemingly nowhere comes this veritable power metal tour de force, with a powerful and melodic sound that is extremely reminiscent of Angel Dust, but with perhaps slightly more apparent thrash- (Exodus, Metallica) and speed- (Helloween) metal influences. Angel Dust has been one of my favorite bands of late, and likewise this album came through bigtime. Although I'd rank _Ambiguity_ just a tad below the two Angel Dust albums that I own (mainly because this release demonstrates less progressive qualities), songs like "Demonsion", "Lost Unseen", and (especially) the eight and a half minute "Beyond My Destiny" are certainly on par with anything Angel Dust has ever done. In addition, the album's piano-driven token ballad, "Far Away", is a beautiful and passionate number, while the album's vibrant closer, "Perception of Life", is a short, fast-paced power metal track with an extremely catchy chorus that made me think of another brilliant album closer, the song "Glorious" off of Nocturnal Rite's _The Sacred Talisman_. Front to back, this really is a fabulous album -- while every song may not be incredible, there is not a single "skippable" track on the disc. Fans of Angel Dust definitely need to look into these guys; I'm very impressed.

Wow. I listened to this CD on my way home and was all prepared to give my review complete with reference to "Nights of Arabia" by Kamelot when I read the guy's review in Indianapolis. I couldn't have said it any better.

This is excellent speed power metal that is just a small step below Metalium. They stray from this style on two songs "Beyond My Destiny" which is more melodic and "Far Away" which is a flat out piano/acoustic song. I haven't read the lyrics on this latter one but it came across as too much of a love song for my tastes - not done with the right twist like "Sailorman's Hymn" by Kamelot to keep it from being sappy.

Andy B. Franck is an ideal vocalist for this type of music. He sounds like a combination of Harry Conklin (Jag Panzer), Bruce Dickinson, occasionally Zak Stevens, and Timo Kotipelto on the high notes.

Recently Brainstorm and Metalium have really proven to me that you don't have to be symphonic (see Kamelot, Blind Guardian) to play good power metal. Just need a ripping vocalist, a powerful rhythm section, and turn up the speed.

Before Ambiguity, Brainstorm had a different singer and they released two albums on a German record label, called B.O. Records. The second release is supposedly pretty good, even without Andy B. Franck as the frontman. Unfortunately the first two albums are OOP and are almost impossible to find, if not indeed totally impossible. Hopefully Metal Blade will get the rights to release these some day.

EDIT: Metalblade Europe did get the rights to these first two albums and in fact, remastered them, and released them in a 2-disc digipak with both the new remastered version and the original mix. The demo material that Brainstorm did is also included, split up between the two albums. Unfortunately, these remasters aren't availbale domestically, even through domestic import retailers. I had to get mine from Ebay from some overseas exporter, if I recall.


Anyway, Brainstorm is a power metal band from Germany, but currently using an American as their singer. Symphorce's frontman, Andy B. Franck. Yep, he's pulling double duty.

EDIT: I have since learned that Andy B. Franck is not American. Aparently that was a misnomer.

So what do they sound like? Well, it's been said that they sound in between Nevermore and Iced Earth. I'm only really familiar with Iced Earth, so I can't really confirm the former. Well, so do they? I guess...I can hear the progressiveness of Iced Earth in there, with the change-ups of guitar riffs and whatnot, but that's about it. The vocals are nowhere near Matt Barlow or Tim Owens. That said, though, they're still pretty good. That is, they mesh well with the music.

EDIT: Now after listening to this band for a couple years now, I don't see any similarities to Iced Earth and/or Nevermore. In fact, this band has a bit of the thrash sound to it. ie. their riffs are a bit chuggy like thrash metal tends to be.

Musically wise, Brainstorm is a power metal band that plays hard and heavy guitar riffs with well placed solos and clean vocals that give it the power metal sound. It's good. I've only got this album so far, but with the other three on order. I'm liking it so far. Hopefully the three newer albums can solidify my interest in this band, as it's one kind of sound that I've been craving lately. That is a power metal band that doesn't sound too whiney (or cheesey) with its vocals and lyrics.

EDIT: I have all their albums with a new one due out in 2009 already, and to be honest, I don't listen to them all that often. Every now and then, I do listen to their single "All These Words" from the Liquid Monster album.

But still, Ambiguity is still a great album in its own right. And since it was my first, and got the most play before I got the others, I am more familiar with it than the others.