When guitarist and main song-writer Anton Kabanen left Battle Beast after the successful Unholy Savior (2015) – the album that made me discover the band – to form his own outfit Beast In Black many wondered how/if Battle Beast would be able to lick their wounds and come back strong. The 2017 effort Bringer Of Pain told us that Battle Beast was doing just fine and that they sounded as good as ever. That made the expectations for the follow-up great. But No More Hollywood Endings (2019) failed to deliver the goods. Without being a bad album per se, the record had a change in style towards the mainstream and radio-friendly with too many fillers to go with that. This meant that Battle Beast once again had to lick their wounds – especially after Kabanen throwing out high-quality records one after another. This is the album that had be great, that had to show the fans that Battle Beast is still a force to be reckoned with.
The opening title-track and single tells us that Battle Beast is back as they’re supposed to. It’s a real banger, heavy and punchy, symphonically orchestrated with eerie circus-music woven in. Beefy riffage, big choir-like backing vocals and effective melodies with a firey and catchy chorus makes the song a winner – and hopefully a sign to where this album is going. Another single, “Wings Of Light” is an uptempo, pop-driven Metal belter not a far cry from how the Anette Olzon fronted Nightwish sounded. It’s riffy both when it comes to guitars and keyboards, it’s straight ahead, it’s energetic and holds a fat, bouncy beat with a glistening chorus on top. This is great stuff.
Latest single “Master Of Illusion” continues style-wise in the vein of the last track albeit maybe a bit more symphonic and pomp-laden – and a bit more mid-tempo. But the heaviness is there and so is the crunchy guitar-work and bouncy rhythms. We get a hook deluxe chorus which flirts with American Arena Rock of the late 80’s, something that this band has never been shy of doing. Great. The title “Where Angels Fear To Fly” comes across pretty Iron Maiden-ish but the sound isn’t. This one’s darker and heavier albeit with a good dose of Battle Beast pomp. We get big keyboards, a direct pop-edge and big vocal-harmonies with a grand, 80’s sounding refrain that is like a tattoo to the brain. Love it.
The Nightwish comparisons can also be spotted in the uptempo pop-rocker “Eye Of The Storm”. It’s a polished piece, quite radio-friendly with slick vocal-melodies which makes it perfect as the album’s second single. The massively catchy chorus is another reason for it to be a single. Good one. With “Russian Roulette” Battle Beast goes total 80’s Arena Rock Bon Jovi style. It opens with a circus themed keyboard intro only for it to take on the colorful melodic Hard Rock of 1986 – slick keyboards, electronic drums, Desmond Child like melodies and a chorus that wouldn’t have been out of place on Slippery When Wet. Cheesy some might say. I say this stuff is in my DNA, amongst others, so I say thumbs up for sure.
“Freedom” is fist-in-face Metal – fast, heavy, hard and edgy. It holds a galloping, Maiden-like rhythm, there are elements of Power Metal, the guitars are rough and edgy but we also get a lighter tinged synth, melodic melodies and slower and darker inserts. The chorus is a sticky one, easily accessed. Good tune. “The Road To Avalon” is an upbeat symphonic pop-rocker with a straight-forward rhythm-structure. It’s a very 80’s sounding melodic rocker that sports a great deal of effective hooks where the chorus could have been co-written by any Desmond Child or Jim Vallance out there. Damn catchy stuff, this.
“Armageddon” stays on the uptempo path and brings on some fat combined guitar/keyboard riffing. Here they have put some softer poppiness in a blender with heavy grit and it works like a charm. The rough and rowdy guitars marries fine with more delicate smoothness of the vocal melodies and the pop-hooks. Again there’s a nod to Anette-era Nightwish albeit with a bigger late 80’s twist in the massively catchy chorus. Great stuff. Closing track “Place That We Call Home” is heavier, ballsier and more metal-edgy with some symphonic, pompous arrangements in the keyboard department and a slight Power Metal twist. It’s fast and kicking with prominent vocal-melodies that grabs a hold right off the bat. It’s a concise and in-your-face belter with a striking refrain. A good song.
So is this a step up from the last record then? Without a doubt. Is it as good as Unholy Savior and Bringer Of Pain? Well, not quite but it sure shows that Battle Beast knows what they did wrong the last time and have bettered it. The Battle Beast we all know and love is back with a more focused effort full of lust for revenge. Noora Louhimo is a real vocal powerhouse who carries strength, edge, passion and fire in her voice but she can also be smooth when needed. Best of all is I can’t find any bad songs on here so the quality is high but apart from the odd filler, there are a couple of Nightwish loans too many but as a whole a damn fine release from a band on their way up again.
7/10
More Battle Beast reviews:
Unholy Savior
Bringer Of Pain
No More Hollywood Endings
Tracklist:
1. Circus Of Doom
2. Wings Of Light
3. Master Of Illusion
4. Where Angels Fear To Fly
5. Eye Of The Storm
6. Russian Roulette
7. Freedom
8. The Road To Avalon
9. Armageddon
10. Place That We Call Home
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