Lancer

Power metal, nay heavy metal at large, has never been one to shy away from quirky imagery when putting forth their brand of sonic art. One might recall the beloved baby seal gone rogue in Johnny from numerous Riot albums dating back to the late 1970s, or the odd bird mascot that often appeared on Budgie's seminal offerings. Then again, the idea of a superhero ostrich shooting lasers from his eyes would be upping the ante just a tad relative to said random animal symbols, though also one that reveals the method behind the madness of newcomer Swedish act Lancer. In similar fashion to the two aforementioned bands, the arguably ridiculous exterior masks a fairly serious musical affair that any fan of Iron Maiden's substantial early 80s offerings can sink their teeth into without a bad after-taste. Truth be told, this band's self-titled debut could be best understood in a similar context to the early 80s work of Riot, though with a few more recent power metal trappings popping up in an almost anachronistic fashion.

In as far as one might speculate that Lancer's superhuman meets avian album art could be a missing evolutionary link out of a Marvel comic book, so too is this album something of a missing link between the gallop-happy, old school crunch of Iron Maiden's Piece Of Mind and the faster and more humor driven melodic delights of late 80s Helloween. The production quality and instrumentation definitely points to a 1983 take on things, as songs such as "Purple Sky" and "Don't Go Changing" have that sort of iconic Swedish sound with a more cleaned up mix and prominent vocal presence. Although the guitar work is definitely well constructed and busy, these songs tend to be a bit more driven by Isak Stenvall's slightly less abrasive version of Tobias Sammet's vocal style (with a hint of Dickinson). Interestingly enough, when things get a bit more technically ambitious and reminiscent of metal's affinity with 70s progressive rock on "Seventh Angel", the result is something not all that far removed from the Hammond organ steeped majesty of "Tears Of A Mandrake".

It can't really be stressed enough that the slapstick visuals that this band incorporates are wholly ironic when dealing with the actual music, as the lyrical subjects tend to be fairly serious and the songwriting is quite ambitious. The Iron Maiden influences are about as blatant as can be on the haunting, crawling closer turned epic rocker "Between The Devil And The Deep", definitely displaying a mix of Piece Of Mind and Brave New World trappings to boot. The cookers that round out most of the remainder of this album such as "Deja Vu" and "Dreamchasers" present somewhat faster versions of what made Maiden the staple of the NWOBHM in the early 80s, or perhaps a non-keyboard oriented version of what came about in the later 80s when said icons started going a bit faster. In all truth, the only moments where things take on that Hansen/Weikath brand of speedy comedy is "Mr. Starlight", which is still a complement to the album with its flashy riff work and occasional interstellar sound effects, not to mention having a middle solo section right out of "Eagle Fly Free".

Perhaps the best way to look at the super-ostrich mascot is as something of a riddle, and the answer is an album that purposefully uses image-based misdirection to surprise the listener. Then again, it could just be that Stenvall and company have that whole "I'm a rock star, I don't give a crap, so I'm gonna show off my pet ostrich to all of our fans" mentality. Either way, there is a substantial amount of superb musical content to be found on here, one that effectively straddles the influences that first ignited the turn of the millennium power metal revival in Germany and much of the rest of Europe along with the more recent craze with revisiting an earlier and less flamboyant predecessor to said style as exemplified in the likes of Striker and Enforcer. Emphasis should always be on the musical content rather than the flightless birds that initially peak one's curiosity anyway, though for all the complaints about bands not taking themselves seriously enough these days, it is an effective way to grab everyone's attention.