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Artist: Alpha Tiger |
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Are you
like me, do you remember when Heavy Metal was the one genre of metal and
we all went to see the same bands whether it was Priest, AC/DC, Maiden,
Saxon or Motorhead. The uniform of choice was denim and leather, when
grown men sewed patches and embroidered their favourite band logos on the
backs of their Wrangler jackets ... oh those were simpler times! (When men
were men and sheep were nervous...). Now
these times are about to come flooding back if Karl Walterbach and his
new label Sonic Attack have anything to do with it. The label is not
only embracing the past but also the present, integrating the familiar
silver disc CD’s with downloads and Internet campaigns through the likes of
Myspace and other social networks. So with
this the labels second release to date are the Saxony Metal of Alpha Tiger and
their album ‘Man Or Machine’. The band led by the powerful vocal
might of Stephan Dietrich, who reminds me of a mix between Bruce Dickinson
and Geoff Tate, a power combination I think you must agree. He along with
the twin guitars of Peter Langforth and Alexander Backasch, the hard
hitting rhythm section of Axel Patzold on drums and Dirk Frei on bass,
complete the Alpha Tiger line-up. The
album may take its spiritual inspiration from the early eighties metal, but this is
taken to new heights with the production of Godi Hildmann, who together with the
band has produced an album that ticks all the right boxes for any fan
of great Heavy Metal. From
the opener ‘Starriders’ you soon feel the awesome power of Dietrich’s
stunning vocals. This layered with the fiery licks of the twin guitars
confirm you know this is going to be metal with a bite. This vibe continues with the riff
fuelled ‘Crimson Desert’ and the exceptional ‘Man Or Machine’,
the latter really mixing old school with a modern symphonic tone.
If
this is Saxony Metal then give me more of the same! But the
album and the band aren’t all about thrashing it around, they do have a
melodic side and this is brought to the forefront on the haunting
‘When Autumn Leaves Fall’, which delivers on so many fronts.
Right from
musicianship to the superb vocals this one really is something special
and shows the wealth of talent on offer with this band. It's back
to the straight up metal with the Maiden-esque twin guitar driven
‘Against The Time’, this song gives Langforth and Backasch the
change to really
go all out and believe me the do. The massive guitar sound is continued
with ‘Martyr’s Paradise’ before the band really show their metal
might with the rampaging ‘Karma’, before bringing it back down a touch
with the old school ‘Exit: Night”. The
album closes with what I would describe as true Saxony Metal, the mix of folk
styled flute at the intro has that medieval feel, but this is just the
intro as the track opens up it all guns blazing once more. This wraps up
what is a great flagship album for the label and let's hope fans of true
metal with embrace not just the band, but the label as well. You
can check out the
bands Myspace site
www.myspace.com/alphatigerband
for more info. |
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Tracklisting: 1.
Starriders |
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All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |
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