Absolute Power

NWOBHM greats Blitzkrieg are still alive and kicking and have returned with what is their heaviest release, Absolute Power. This album retains the NWOBHM spirit of raw, in your face guitar driven songs with a melodic quality. Blitzkrieg have added a very noticeable Judas Priest element to their sound with this album. Absolute Power contains the type of riffs the mighty Priest were unleashing on us by the dozen during their heyday. Absolute Power leads off with Legion, a fast paced number much in the vein of Screaming for Vengeance. The pace does not let up from there. There are no ballads on this disc, although there is a nice variation in tempo from start to finish. You'll hear fast paced tunes like Legion, Terror Zone or Soul Stealer, while middle paced tunes like Enchanted Tower are sprinkled in nicely to create a nice balance. No matter the tempo, I must give two big thumbs up for 1) the fantastic riffing throughout this album and 2) the tight and steady rhythm section which includes the speedy, but not over indulgent Phil Brewis on drums. The riffs are meatier and more forceful than ever before in the band's history. The Liddle/Nesbitt duo is the shining point of the album and should have classic Priest fans salivating. Let's not forget the unmistakable vocals of Brian Ross that sound like they haven't aged a day since the release of Unholy Trinity and his other NWOBHM band, Satan. Filler material is nowhere to be found on this release. I brought this CD to the gym with me a couple times and I'm sure my air guitar playing between sets drew some strange looks! Simply put, this album flat out rocks from the first note to the last. Unfortunately, this is not a big budget release and the sound quality reflects that. In fact the production is very raw and thin just many NWOBHM albums of the early 80's (almost demo quality to be honest). Case in point: there is a very faint hiss in the background throughout a large part of the album. Granted, this doesn't detract from the listening enjoyment of the songs, but it is a shame these songs can't sound even better with decent production. With decent production, you could easily add 15 points to my quote. Despite this, Absolute Power is a must have for any Blitzkrieg fan. If you miss the inspired riffs that Judas Priest used to deliver during the Rob Halford era, I would tell you that now is a good time to become a Blitzkrieg fan. Once you get past the low dollar budget production, you will discover a wealth of classic, NWOBHM inspired heavy metal!