Fire Eater

Having already ascertained that Pure Steel's recent rerelease of Aska's 1997 effort should be avoided by fans of traditional US Heavy/Power Metal how then does their new LP stack up? In terms of sticking rigidly to that scope it fails as this crosses a pretty broad spectrum of Heavy Metal styles. However for the most part all the different shades they draw on are good and they manage to make a myriad album with a strong and diverse batch of songs.

“Everyone Dies” proves this point as the album's opener with a direct and biting vibe somewhere in between Judas Priest's Painkiller and recent Accept whilst “Dead Again” is a masterclass in incorporating the most commercial of 80's chart-topping Metal into a modern sound without losing any balls and “Valhalla” delivers both that mythological lyrical bent to justify the cover art and that long-desired USPM kick. It is followed up by the much speedier “Son Of A God” that switches to a more European take on Power Metal, yet remarkably actually keeping a strong semblance of “power” actually there.

This style-hopping may seem unfocused and scatterbrain, but the powerful bombastic production and George Call's excellent and varied voice are the golden threads that hold it together, even through the mandatory sappy love balled “Angela.” The big guns of the 80's are drawn again for “Harlot Of Eden” where rapid-fire USPM riffs meet touches of Dokken and even Def Leppard in their Pyromania/Hysteria era utterly seemlessly. Despite the leanings into 80's mass appeal territories the song also is compositionally complex, a theme carried on by “Red Cell” which becomes the album's absolute centrepiece. The synths may get a bit too close to Dragonforce for comfort in the solo sections, but otherwise it's epic structure, clever drum fills and Jag Panzer meets Somewhere In Time vibe is utterly irresistible.

Fire Eater only fails to achieve a top scoring here thanks to the final 3 songs. The first of the 2 cover versions in the shape of Judas Priest's “The Ripper” is a great display of George Call's voice and range without merely mimicking Rob Halford while the other, Emerald's “Eye Of The Serpent” is by no mean a dud but nevertheless provides a lukewarm finish to a otherwise storming album. What really hurts this album though is the song sandwiched in between, “Year Of Jubilee”, which overturns the previous achievement of adopting the European Power Metal style without becoming overly twee by mixing Sonata Arctica with Cliff Richard's Christmas singles. It really is as horrifying as it sounds and how it didn't end up on the cutting room floor when the album would still be 48 minutes long without it is beyond me. [7/10]

From WAR ON ALL FRONTS A.D. 2013 zine- www.facebook.com/waronallfronts

It looks like Pure Steel records have another winner on their hands in Texans Aska, who deliver a particularly ace brand of US styled heavy/power metal. This is another act who I’m relatively new to, and as such can’t comment on their prior output, what I will say, is that their sixth full-length is a cool slab of metal with a particularly good approach to songwriting.

I have a lot of time for this particular niche of underground heavy metal, and have a love affair with the eighties stuff from the US, so it’s great to see Aska delivering a decidedly eighties styled album. What’s cooler is that their general approach blends the more propulsive riff happy approach of acts such as Omen with the classier, progressively tinged sounds of Fates Warning or Crimson Glory, as well as some of the hard rock elements which would creep into a lot of the eighties bands towards the end of the decade. They blend these styles in a decidedly subtle manner, and as such really rewards an inquisitive listen. On the surface, Fire Eater doesn’t come off as incredibly exciting, but if you dig deep I think you’ll be surprised.

Singer/guitarist extraordinaire George Call works like a dog to ensure the songs here hit their mark, and the guy puts forth a passionate performance boasting a really strong voice. Even in the relatively uninspiring Hard Rock driven semi-ballad “Angela” George is perfectly on the money, showcasing his range and passion – he could put a lot of hard rock crooners to shame. Of course the guy sounds at his finest when he’s wailing over pummelling heavy metal riffs, as seen across the vast majority of the album.

The rest of the band provide a suitable canvas for George’s vocals, and for the most part they put in a classy performance. The heavier riffs are well developed, and primed to get the head-banging. The more melodic riffs which take their cues from later Queensrÿche as well as hard rock help give the music its dynamic feel, and they’re again, well conceived. There is also a slight keyboard presence, which is particularly felt in “Red Cell” which helps in giving a distinct prog/power vibe. The rhythm approach too, is well-done across the board, with a spot on drum performance from Damon Call and some ace bass.

Whilst the material might require a little digging to fully enjoy, Aska are certainly a band worth checking out and investing time with. They don’t really put a foot wrong throughout the album, although if you have an aversion to hard rock tendencies then it could put you off. For the most part this is a really well-done, mature heavy metal release that I can happily get behind. Oh and their cover of “The Ripper” is really cool, they manage to give it an almost Rage For Order style Queensrÿche vibe.

Originally written for http://www.metal-observer.com