Of The Son And The Father

Holy Shit ! This is what I call a F*cking Great Surprise. The kind of surprise that will end its course in my Award List for 2003. Can you believe that Rainbow, Black Sabbath and early Dio have been resuscitated with the arrival of Astral Doors ? You can't. I understand :) But after the first spin Of The Son And The Father, you will be on your knees, praying there is a Metal God somewhere out there. Patrick Johansson - lead and back vocals - is the resurrection of Ronnie James Dio. Just listen to the first killer track - Cloudbreaker - and if you are a fan of Rainbow, you will buy this one before the third track ends. Patrick ... I have just four words for you : Two Thumbs Up Man !!! As you know, a good voice alone is nothing if the music doesn't assist the vocalist. Who said The Glorious Burden ? Here, not only the song-writing is at the rendezvous, the songs are epic, catchy, melodic and very nostalgic of course. The Hammond organ sends you back in the 70's when rock was vintage as hell. Patrick Johansson - which sometimes reminds you also Tony Martin - has a wonderful team working for him. The guitar work is terrific too with excellent riffs and solos - you know, that's what Metallica forgot to record on St-Anger. The production sends you back in the 80's, but it remains strong enough. With songs reminding you Long Live Rock And Roll (Ocean Of Sand), Holy Diver (Cloudbreaker), this album is a kind of reminder, a legacy of kings (sorry Hammerfall). No weak tracks, a topnotch song-writing, a great old-school record from this rocky Swedish band. Again ? Yes again, another Swedish band coming from nowhere. These Swedish are ... unbelievable. With songs such as Prison For Life, Of The Son And The Father, Man On The Rock, Hungry People, Burn Down The Wheel - all of them scorching the sky - Astral Doors deserve your full attention. Ah before I leave you and let you run to the nearest metal Cds store, I must mention another surprise. A colossal one actually. The mixing Of The Son And The Father has been done in April 2003 by .... : Peter Tägtgren !!! Now I let you go. Run ... :)