By DJ Monk
By the time a band, any band, have reached the stage of releasing their seventh album, it is perhaps inevitable to expect they have reached a certain degree of elevation among their peers, a certain level of competency and a certain level of, shall we say, admiration. And, it has to be admitted, that Stormzone have certainly reached a certain level of attainment in their status as, arguably, Northern Ireland’s premier – and certainly most high profile, and coincidentally prolific – heavy metal act, albeit perhaps while being another example of prophets unheard in their own land, headlining festivals across Europe while picking and choosing when and where they play back home.
Stormzone trace their roots back to the mid-Noughties, releasing two albums – 2007’s ‘Caught In The Act’ and ‘Death Dealer’ three year later – before founder John ‘Harv’ Harbinson teamed up with guitarist Steve Moore, who brought a whole new dynamic to the project, not only in terms of his fretboard skills but also in terms of his own songwriting sensibilities and, perhaps more importantly, his production nous: yes, he had his own studio, in which the band could nurture their development – and in which the vision of both Harv and himself could take over. The result? A triptych of superb albums, kicking off with the declarative ‘Zero To Rage’, moving on to the iconoclastic ‘Three Kings’ (an exemplar of the genre) and culminating in what was, arguably and finally, their breakthrough opus magnus, ‘Seven Sins’. The band had hit their stride…
Of course, like many bands, they had their personnel issues. Second guitarists came and went, drummer Davy Bates could not commit full-time and stand-ins also came and went more often than DQ fucks off to Spain for the weekend: egos clashed, side projects started to emerge… but, two years ago, the band re-emerged with a stable line-up and a new album, ‘Lucifer’s Factory’. Personally, however, there was something missing: what should have been a new beginning for the band seemed to be more of a declaration that “we’re still here” rather than one of “we’re BACK!”… And, as a friend of several of the guys in the band, I’m afraid to say that ‘Ignite…’ initially evokes exactly the same lack of enthusiasm, as, unlike the likes of ‘Three Kings’, which grabbed by the balls and didn’t let go, it takes a number of repeat plays to actually get into the groove of what Stormzone are actually trying to achieve on this seventh son…
It doesn’t help that it kicks off with the mundane lead single, ‘Tolling Of The Bell’, which sounds as dolorous as Big Ben with a JD-infused hangover. It’s not until the follow-up title track that the band hit their stride, delivering the sort of thrash-infused and highly technical attack we have come to expect from them. Then we have the double whammy of the epic ‘Each Setting Sun’ and fist-pumping anthemic of ‘Dragon’s Cartel’, before Harv once again proves that he can nail a power ballad more effectively than a Roman centurion with the lighter waving ‘Nothing To Fear’.
However, outside of the even more impressive ‘Flame That Never Dies’, the album sort of disappears up its own backside in the second half, in which it sounds rushed and harried. It’s a problem which has troubled Stormzone before, notably on ‘Three Kings’ and ‘Seven Sins’, which both sounded like the band had played all their jackpot-winning cards early and had nothing left for the latter part of the game: however, where those albums succeeded in rescuing themselves through the likes of ‘Out Of Eden’ and ‘Master Of Sorrow’, on this occasion the lads completely blow it with the inane and crass stupidity of ‘This Is Heavy Metal’.
Yes, it does have those in-your-face moments that the previously mentioned triptych produced: those big moments such as ‘Where We Belong’ or ‘Fear Hotel’, ‘Three Kings’, ‘The Pass Loning’ and ‘Beware In Time’ are echoed in ‘Each Setting Sun’ and ‘Nothing To Fear’. But, it also has too many of the “downers”: too many moments where you feel that you want more but your appetite is not sated.
I’m not saying that ‘Ignite…’ is a bad album. Far from it. It is a good album, one which most definitely will appeal to existing fans of the band, and those of the power/traditional metal genres. And deservedly so, as Stormzone have earned that level of respect.
- ‘Ignite The Machine’ is released on 31 July. You can get your copy HERE.
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.