I thoroughly enjoy writing music reviews. One of the small pleasures in life for me is getting exposure to a whole host of new bands I may otherwise have never heard of, or perhaps overlooked, because I get a review copy of a release. Sometimes I get albums that go nowhere and feel like a waste of my time, but most of the time I at least enjoy what I get. Sometimes, however, I get a diamond in the rough, something that I can be truly happy about receiving. Edge Of Thorns is just such an example.
To be honest, I'd never heard of Edge Of Thorns before, but the name immediately made me think of Savatage. Indeed, the band's moniker was inspired by the Savatage song/album, so of course, aural comparisons at once begin to take shape. That's a mistake, however, because Edge Of Thorns really sound very little like the metal heroes they fashioned their name after. Rather than a mix of American power metal, progressive hard rock and straight up metal, Edge Of Thorns take a different path. Their sound is steeped in the modern, heavy European power metal sound, and that's a good thing, because the band has a knack for the style.
Right away, I'm enthralled by the guitars. Longtime (founding?) lead guitarist Dave Brixius, and newcomer Jani Näckel bring the heat, big time. Jani brings home driving hard riffs that not only hit hard, but are sprinkled with variety throughout. It's not all chugga chugga stuff, but there are moments where the notes ring out, and other times when rhythmically, she makes things interesting. Dave's solo work is fiery and blistering, bringing an exciting element to the songs during each solo break. Some guitarists' solo playing can be too technical, or too basic, but Dave transitions back and forth nicely from song to song between highly melodic playing (such as some of the solo work in "The Seven Sins Of Arthur McGregor"), and all out fret board fireworks. In all, the guitar sound is chunky and heavy, the way it should be in a band playing this style. Bass provided by Achim Sinzinger is competent, and though not prominent in the band's sound, provides some necessary weight. Drummer Joachim Lichter is on-point and provides a nice, meaty drum sound to the album. He handles mid-tempo and basic beats like a champ, and his double-bass and faster drum work is impressive as well. He brings a minor sense of dynamics as well, which is always a plus.
Vocally, Dirk Schmitt is a strong addition to the band's sound. He has a very gritty tone that reminds me a lot of Udo Dirkschneider (ex-Accept), though with a bit less gravel. Dirk has that sound where it sounds like his epiglottis is reverberating at 100 mph, so it's a "cleaner grit", if you will, than what Udo projects. Dirk has a powerful voice, good range, and he uses his instrument well on this album. The one bothersome thing I noticed about his vocals is more of a delivery issue than a problem with his voice. Any time a word begins with the letter "i", he adds an artificial "r" sound, i.e. when he says "Insomnia" in the title track, or particularly in the last track, "Is This The Way It Is". It's a minor issue, but as strong as his performance is here, it's a bit distracting to hear him say "Rrrrrinsomnia!" several times in a row during an otherwise great performance. On the plus side, having fellow German Ralf Scheepers provide guest vocals during "Metal Unity" certainly doesn't hurt matters any.
Having not heard the previous 2 releases, I can't speak to the quality here versus past material, but what I can say is that this is a solid set of songs performed with enthusiasm by a talented bunch of musicians. What I'd really like to hear from the band on their next outing is an even tighter batch of tunes, with even catchier riffs and choruses. Other than a bit of minor tightening of the vocal attack and a want for slightly more memorable batch of material, there's very little I can fault this album for. This CD is a testament to the collective talent and drive of the band members, and I commend them for giving us a work as cohesive and consistent throughout. Recommended.
83/100
Originally written for MetalFRO's Musings:
http://metalfroreview.blogspot.com/2014/06/edge-of-thorns-insomnia-2014.html
So I'm not sure how this band slid under may radar, forming in 1996 and although they did release some demos they not release their debut until 2004. This band plays a ballsy, riff laden power metal in the vein of Grave Digger and modern Accept. As a matter of fact, vocalist Dirk Schmitt sounds a lot like Chris Boltendahl with a hint of Mark Tornillo with that raspy but melodic metal voice. I was actually expecting something more progressive given they are named after one of Savatage's more progressive and less heavy albums. However, the result is some really enjoyable metal full of melodies, hooks, and riffs that make me glad I grabbed this album.
After a quick intro that sounds like an eerie kids voice that would not be out of place on a King Diamond album, the riffs begin with the first real song, "Dark Side of your Life." Right away you hear the guitar work and the vocals that tell you that this isn't your flowery euro-power metal. This is power metal with balls. The riffs are good and although they are not re-inventing the wheel here, they are making fine heavy metal. The guitar work on here is quite good with tasty solos that are melodic but technical. There's dual harmony solos as well that go well with the music. The production on this album is clean and modern sounding but not in a bad way. The instruments are mixed well together where no one thing drowns out the other. "Yearning Has Begun" has some nice riffs and melodies and the chorus is catchy. The soloing on this album is sometimes unconventional like the intro to the title track that sounds almost like something Steve Vai or Satriani would do. It's those solos along with the meaty riffs that make these songs catchy as fuck.
I also must say that the more I hear this album, I'm reminded of Chris Boltendahl. And speaking of vocals, "Metal Unity" sees Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) guesting on the chorus and he actually is not that bad on here. He fits the song well and actually doesn't sound too out of place with Dirk Schmitt. And the lead guitarist David Brixius is a fucking beast. The more I hear him play the more respect I have for him as he pummels you with crushing solos. Although he is a technical player he doesn't overdo it. Along side of him is Jani Nackel pumping out the riffs. It's not very often we see a female playing rhythm guitar in a traditional or power metal band but she can hold her own. The crunchy riffing on "A Caress of Souls" is a prime example of the massive guitar work on this album. This is an epic song clocking in at 7:20 as well as an anthemic song with it's melodies and hooks. "The 7 Sins of Arthur McGregor" is another epic type number that starts off very melodic but going into some furious riff work with a melodic anthemic chorus. This song also has some interesting time changes. "Death Dealer" is another song that has a killer opening riff and leads into massive hooks in the song. There is a lot going on in some of these songs that keep these songs very interesting.
The only songs on this album that did not entirely grab me was "The Watchmaker" and the closer "...Is This the Way It Ends" which saw the vocals go in a different direction which seemed to not be the strong point for this vocalist, especially the latter being a ballad that just didn't do it for me at all. However, this album as a whole is really good with well written songs and strong musicianship. I'm glad I picked this album up. This album has much more going for it than it seems on the surface and I'm instantly a fan.
http://elitistmetalhead.blogspot.com/