Female fronted heavy metal...in most cases, when you hear that description, the first thing that comes to mind is Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, or any band of that ilk, all great groups for sure, but what a nice surprise to come across German act Souldrinker, and their new release for El Puerto Records, War Is Coming. This is classic European power metal tossed with a healthy dose of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, led by the powerful vocals of Iris Boanta. As far removed from Floor Jansen or Simone Simons, as well as Angela Gossow or Alissa White-Gluz for that matter, Iris sits somewhere in the middle with her gruff yet melodic roar. In fact, if you knew nothing about Souldrinker coming in, you might mistake her for a male singer with her powerful mid range style. The band are comprised of:
Iris Boanta - vocals
Markus Pohl - guitar
Chris Rodens - bass
Steffen Theurer - drums
Plenty of thunderous material to be found here, including the catchy but hard hitting "Promised Land", the raging "Let the King Bleed", the gritty riff-o-rama of "To the Tick" , and the crushing yet melodic headbanger "Like Rain...". Guitarist Pohl (Mystic Prophecy) is a talented player, his vast array of beefy riffs permeate the entire album, tossing in some flashy solos when needed, but for the most part it's all about those riffs, as on the acrobatic "Fire Raiser" and the crushing "Raise the Flag", while the catchy "Final Stand" shows the band are also quite adept at marrying brutal riffing and pounding rhythms with memorable vocal hooks.
Job well done on War Is Coming, displaying that Souldrinker are a band that should be kept on your immediate radar.
Track Listing
1. Let the King Bleed 04:10
2. Souldrinker 04:35
3. Promised Land 03:59
4. To the Tick 04:59
5. Take my Pain 04:42
6. Like Rain... 04:43
7. Raise the Flag 04:08
8. Fire Raiser 03:48
9. Voices 04:28
10. Final Stand 03:45
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