Marshall Law

I'll admit, I know very little about Marshall Law. I've been a fan of classic/traditional heavy metal for many many years and I only recently stumbled upon them by accident. But I must say, I was very impressed with what I heard. The band(at least on this album) sound kinda like early 80's Priest(eg SFV) mixed with Keepers era Helloween.

The songs range from mid paced speed metal, to more traditional Priest style rockers. And the album is mostly vocal driven, so it's a good thing that their vocalist is very competent. He has a good mid-range tone, slightly gruff, he sounds a bit like Ray Alder did on the No Exit album, only without the range. More impressive though is the vocal melodies he comes up with, some are so damn catchy they stick to you immediately. Take the pre-chorus to the song "Marshall Law" for example, the "synthetic life within his frame" part, very catchy stuff. Unfortunately the production is a bit weak, the guitars are pushed way too far down in the mix, which is a shame because the riffs are generally good and the leadwork is very impressive. Lots of Tipton/Downing type solos, lots of trade offs and some harmonizing. The bass is pretty much inaudible, the drums are tight and pretty loud in the mix but are nothing fancy.

The album flows good from beginning to end, there's really nothing on here that I would consider "filler" just some songs that are a little bland and simply don't work. But when these guys are on, they are on. "Under the Hammer" starts the album off with a bang, it's steady speed metal song with a catchy fist pumping chorus. Good vocal work, and an energetic solo. "Marshall Law" is probably my favorite song on the album, it sounds a bit different than the other songs, a little slower and more moody bust still very much a rocker of a song. The vocals in this song are brilliant, the pre-chorus vocal melody I mentioned earlier is one hell of a hook, and the chorus with it's chanting is good fist pumping stuff. A good build up to the solo, and even better execution. "Screaming" is another kick ass track, a high energy rocker with an infectious chorus. The guitars are more prominent in this song, some good harmonics to accentuate the vocals, and a good screaming solo.

"Future Shock" is another standout, it almost sounds like a really heavy Dokken song in a way. The verses are great with their stalking flow, and another good pre-chorus melody, and the screaming in the chorus is great. "When Will it End" has a nice marching rythym, though it's a little too far on the cheesey side, still very catchy. "Hearts and Thunder" is pretty straight forward speed metal, soft verses, speedy chorus, when the speed kicks in it's really a kick ass song. Also the most lengthy and complex solo on the album.

The other songs are mostly all decent, just nothing to really write home about. All in all I would say this is a nice little hidden gem in the metal world. Fans of bands like Scanner, Riot, Helloween, and other classic power metal bands will surely love this. It has the right combination of balls, cheese, and fist pumping fun to make it a kick ass album.