Search - Stormwarrior :: Heading Northe

This is very, very close to be the perfect metal...

Metal Covenat | 03/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Probably we have all from time to time fantasized about that perfect metal album, and wished and wondered why noone could make just that perfect music that you yourself have made up in your mind how it should sound. You know just how you want the riffs, the production, the choruses, the vocals and so on. This, my friends, is the answer to my own personal prayers. This is pure metal that touches and speaks directly to my heart. This is very, very close to be the perfect metal that I my whole life have dreamt of and been waiting to hear.



This is the missing link between the timeless and classic album Walls Of Jericho, contemporary Gamma Ray and Running Wild during the mid-90's. Heavensent harmonies and choruses with a very confident performance and a large amount of heart and soul in what they are doing. The familiar Stormwarrior style is intact but this time they have taken it to a higher level. If you liked the earlier albums, you will love this. They have taken a small step back from the extreme Walls Of Jericho-sound and have added a bit more own personality to it this time and Lars Ramcke also sings way better now. It is impossible to pick out any specific highlights as the album is top notch all along the way. When you during the course of the album think it can not get any better, they manage to top it with the next song anyway. As usual with Stormwarrior, the songs may sound very similar to each other but they all have their own distinctives. The amazing choruses are what really lift the album to the extremes.



Allow me to quote the band themselves about this album: "Much like a thunderstorm, "Heading Northe" is full of power and energy. Riffs cutting like razorblades, pushing drum and bass attacks and melodies that stay etched in your mind! With "Heading Northe" Stormwarrior stay true to their music, measuring up to the highest standards - that's pure metal without any mediocrity!" I could not have said it better myself. Heading Northe was recorded in their own Thunderhall Studio and mixed by Piet Sielck (Iron Savior, Savage Circus) and mastered by renowned Tommy Hansen in his Jailhouse Studios in Denmark. The sound landscape is very rich, clear, spacy and powerful, and the guitar sound is just perfect for these kind of riffs and this type of metal.



If you have been longing for a really, really awesome album in this genre, look no further. Heading Northe by Stormwarrior is an album that at least in my book goes directly in as one of the very best albums ever made in the history of metal..."

Very Solid Metal Album

Chikan | 06/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stormwarrior strike back with their third full-length album, which is full of big choruses, bigger riffs and screeching solos. In fact, that's what the album is all about: guitars, guitars and more guitars. This is a good thing if you like Helloween styled metal played largely at fast tempos (though the Helloween plagiarism is less evident here than on the previous two efforts). As mentioned, the songs are mostly fast and aggressive, the exception being "The Revenge of Asa Lande", which is an 'epic' sounding song that serves as a good separation from the pace of the other songs. Also of note is the singing, which has improved with the music from album to album. Lars' voice resembles Joacim Cans' (HammerFall) voice, but with more 'balls' to it. The drumming is also to be commended, as this guy is right on with whatever beat or changes he needs to make; he really propels the songs forward. So overall, if one enjoys fast-paced, straight up METAL, he will probably enjoy this, but if one is just being introduced to this type of music, should probably start with something a little safer/varied first. If one likes old Helloween, or wishes HammerFall would return to form (Glory to the Brave/ Legacy of Kings) and write a consistently good (and HEAVY) album, or is looking for a capable/consistent pure metal band to listen to between releases of other favorite bands, Stormwarrior should be high on the list.



By the way, their countrymen WIZARD play a similar style of metal, a little more Manowar-ish than Stormwarrior, but perhaps with a little more confidence and slightly better songwriting, though if you really like one band, you will no doubt like the other."