Reforming Warlord with the singer of Hammerfall
could be seen as an opportunity ... a commercial opportunity.
Even though Hammerfall is amongst these bands to
have officially recognized the talent of Warlord
- listen to the cover Child Of The Damned on their
first album Glory To The Brave - there is no doubt
that Joacim Cans is the best spotlight Warlord could
ever dream of. First of all, Joacim is one of the best heavy
metal singer around and secondly he is an unconditional
Warlord's fan. So you can imagine how proud he must
be rejoining the cult & famous Warlord. So a
commercial opportunity or a real good heavy metal band ?
Rising Out Of The Ashes has been constructed from
demos, old & new songs, without forgetting Lordian
Guard songs. Some might say the band didn't take too
much risk, but isn't it somehow logical that after these
"empty years" and a new singer Warlord
played a safety card. Warlord's music hasn't changed
for a dime and if you are an Iron Maiden fan, like
to listen to melodic guitar solos without having a tempo
running at full speed, you gonna love this record ... as
much as I do. I am really impressed by Joacim's performance
on Rising Out Of The Ashes ... and even though it
sounds like a bad "cliché", the guy is
singing better and better year after year. The time of Glory
To The Brave seems so far away when you listen carefully
to Joacim's now. Congratulation man !!!
The only "weak" point of Rising Out Of The
Ashes is this linearity as the same tempo has been applied.
It took me a while to realized I was not listening to the
same track again and again, but I have to admit that the
album grows in me (and keep growing) spin after spin. Songs
like Battle Of The Living (old demo), Enemy Mind
(new song), Invaders or Winds Of Thor (Lordian
Guard song) are future Warlord's classics and the
guitar - just after the singer - is the winner here. I am
"drunk" by these guitar solos - wonderful, flooding,
melodic & so original - as the guy behind the instrument
knows definitely how to write a solo. Two thumbs up !!!
The production sounds very much like the 80's and I suppose
it is intentional. I know the band was looking for a label
with this one ... so may be the band will have more money
to invest from now. At the end, the production is true to
Warlord "cultish image".
Welcome back guys, but please try to stay alive as much
as possible this time as Rising Out Of The Ashes
sounds just like the beginning ... just like the beginning
of a brand-new age. The future is in your hands.
Wacken, Wacken, here comes Warlord, for their first
ever live performance on stage ... can you believe it ?