German metallers SYMPHORCE are back in action with
their sixth album entitled “Become Death”.
Six albums? Yeah that’s right. What’s
that? You’ve never heard of SYMPHORCE before?
Well, let me tell you, “Become Death”
is a fine introduction indeed.
The band, consisting of Andy Franck (vocals), Cedric
Dupont (guitars), Markus Pohl (guitars), Dennis Wohlbold
(bass) and newly enlisted drummer Steffen Theurer,
have been honing their craft since their debut in
1999. They’ve toured in support of such bands
as MERCYFUL FATE, KAMELOT and GRAVE DIGGER and have
received a good deal of positive press these past
8 years, but it seems they have yet to rise to the
forefront of the metal scene. That should all change
with the release of “Become Death”. This
album should grab the attention of nearly all fans
of metal, whether it be power, goth, or thrash, there’s
a little bit of a lot of great things involved in
this album. The album’s sound is modern melodic
metal with a definitive touch of power and weight,
both accessible and darkly intense.
When listening to “Become Death” I thought
to myself: “this vocalist sounds a lot like
they guy from BRAINSTORM”. And rightly so, cause
it’s the same guy, Andy Franck. I didn’t
recognize the name, but the impressive vocal prowess
was unmistakable. And like BRAINSTORM there’s
a great deal of melodic-power metal going on, but
SYMPHORCE is decidedly more gritty and metallically
inclined, with a touch of thrash/death in the mix.
The first track “Darkness Fills The Sky”
is a prime example of that, the guitars rip and shred,
the drums pound away relentlessly while Franck sneers
and growls like a vicious metal dog. And the man can
sing beautifully. His clean vocals are superb, as
well as his grit, the man is a vocal dynamo. >From
his Dave Mustaine-like sneer in “Condemned”
to his Peter Steel-ish deep and dark croon in “Inside
The Cast”, Franck is impressive throughout.
“Become Death” should by all rights be
SYMPHORCE’s ticket to the pantheon of metal
gods. Buy it. Listen to it. Join the phorce.
Bottom Line: Diverse and modern melodic heavy friggan
metal. Think of BRAINSTORM meets MEGADETH, with a
touch of PARADISE LOST. Does that sound good to you?
Of course it does.
Key Tracks: Darkness Fills The Sky; Condemned; Inside
The Cast
Reviewed by Farron Watson |
