Over the Top

White Wizzard is one of those bands that gets lots of praise but at the same time lots of shit for what they do and how they do it. First let me give you a little background about them. They are one of the bands in the so called "New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal" movement that seems to be taking place in recent years (there are a lot of people who disagree.) A lot of people also argue that they get way too much attention for what they do and should not be praised so much. Is that true? To some extent, but that's not what this review is for. Before we even begin talking about the music, I want to say that I really like the artwork and it really does catch the eye.

Unlike their previous release the band actually succeeds (somewhat) at what they are trying to do. They improved a whole lot in a lot of aspects and set the bar higher than before. The entire album has a lot of Maiden and Priest influence that when mixed with their own sound produces solid tracks such as "40 Deuces", or "Live Free or Die". Also, unlike the previous release the singer is actually good and knows how to put his voice to good use. He does some impressive falsettos and screams that accompany every track at some point or the other. With that being said the strongest thing on the album are the vocals.

At this point in the review you might be thinking, "Well so far he said good things about the album and he gives it a 74?" I'll be getting to this right now. While the album does have good things going for it, the songs themselves lack the creative punch or stellar execution. I can name only 3 songs that I can enjoy listening to from start to finish. The other tracks are either boring, or just don't really have anything going for them. A big example of this is "Death Race." This is like the "Tailgunner" of Iron Maiden (Which is quite funny actually, because this band really aspires to be just like them in any way possible.) The song has one of the most annoying riffs I've heard in a while, and the melodic aspect to the song is quite bland, which brings me to my biggest gripe with this album.

Blandness, yes. It plagues the entire album and destroys anything from being fun. Take "Iron Goddess of Vengeance" for example, a prominent song on the album that stands as the band's long, epic song. The lyrics are great and so is the solo. But what kills the song is the first five minutes, which is filled with uninspired guitar work that could have been improved if more thought was given. On the other hand, the rest of the song is fine and dandy. The vocals and guitars produce a catchy melody that gives you the goosebumps when listening to it. It's a fun experience, but too bad it only lasts two minutes. If the album had more moments like that it would really be an interesting piece of work that I would see myself enjoying.

-Ralf