Release Yourself

The power/thrash fusion was never something I've been really comfortable with. The two genres really are polar opposites when you get down to it: thrash, the dirty, scar-ridden fusion of punk and heavy metal, concerned with political issues and violence against posers, and power metal, lofty, epic, clean-voiced traipses into the land of fantasy. Congruent? Not really; but bands persist in attempting such a combination on a regular basis, with highly mixed results. It seems that the vast majority of the time, you just end up getting a rather aggressive breed of power metal rather than a genuine input of 'thrash'; but I suppose that's just the way these things go.

Raise The Shield, however, is one of the better instances of power/thrash I've had the pleasure to encounter. Yes, they fall into that general 'aggressive power metal' mold, but they're able to transcend the stereotypical trappings of that style (tough guy posturing doesn't work very well with falsettos) and instead concentrates simply upon weaving catchy, memorable tunes. This is highly guitar-based music, and highly melodic; vocals and lead guitar lines are constantly weaving in and out of each other, and in an actually pleasing way. The guitar playing here is surprisingly technical at times, but for the benefit of the melody, not to try to impress the listener. The guitar lines on opener 'End In Violence' are a wonderful example of this: melodic, emotional, and powerful, while still sounding unique and compelling.

There's a definite 80's vibe to the proceedings, but in a good way. The music is in no way cheesy; it just possesses that same sense of drama and power of the music of that decade. Apart from the beautiful guitar melodies, the other instrumentation is nothing to shrug off: drumming is technically capable and surprisingly speedy at times, and the vocals, though a tad flat at times, are a strong, forceful clean (bass is, as usual, mostly inaudible). There's a somewhat rockish sense of songwriting here, such as on 'Kiss Your Ass Goodbye', with its drifting held chords and propulsive drum presence. The second half of this disc takes the tempo down a notch, but stays mostly effective, reminding one a lot of 80's style rock (the good kind), and retaining its power and melody handily.

Only a couple flaws are present. The vocals, while generally quite good, could use a bit more force and intensity at times. While the production is clear and audible, the music would be better served by dropping the drums back slightly and bringing the guitars and vocals forward to better demonstrate the fantastic melodic sense Raise The Shield holds claim to. In addition to this, drums are produced rather strangely; very wide and flat, with a particular rehearsal room sound that doesn't quite mesh with the rest of the music.

Despite these shortcomings, 'Release Yourself' is a highly pleasing listen to all fans of melodic metal. I'm very interested in hearing where the band goes from here; such a release is already highly accomplished, and only promises good things for the future.