Mob Rules: Beast Reborn

One listen to the ninth studio album from Germany’s power metal masters Mob Rules confirms that no matter how breathtakingly majestic their pompous take on brash riffs becomes, this outfit have just never quite received the recognition, or indeed commercial success, that they deserve. Beast Reborn, as you’ll doubtless gather, is another immense and impressive collection from the band, strutting, bold and catchy as hell. Once the obligatory scene setting introductory title track is dispensed with, from there it’s simply one molten metal monster after another.

The single “Ghost Of A Chance� takes the age old Judas Priest framework and ensures that it sounds anything other than hackneyed and jaded. Preening vocals from Klaus Dirks belting out a chorus that will give you no option but to sing along and demand you continue to do so long after this album has stopped spinning - and how he reaches those Dickinson/Tate notes so comfortably is anyone’s guess. But with “Shores Ahead� adding the Symphonic edge that’s always in this band’s armoury and reminding of Kamelot at their finest, the level of variance, while hardly hitting unheard of levels of eclecticism, certainly keeps you dialled in from start to finish.

“Traveller In Time�, referring to the John Titor story where a ‘ghost from the future’ appeared on the internet amidst many believing that he’d genuinely cracked time travel, provides the mystery and mystique you’d expect, while also adding a pumping, grinding riff and pummelling drums. Whereas “Children’s Crusade� takes us willingly deep into Iron Maiden territory through its dive bombing guitars and multi-layered solos - highlighting in the process the addition of second guitarist Sonke Janssen, who not only bolsters this newly burgeoning twin axe attack, but proves the equal of his six-string partner Sven Ludke.

The mid-paced stomp of “Revenant Of The Sea� leaves no doubt that Mob Rules are still as comfortable and captivating when they look to build atmospheres and moods, as they are when they hit full throttle, while the closing “My Sobriety Mind (For Those Who Left)� does a tremendous job while veering unexpectedly close to power ballad territory. Although its high octane guitar howl ensures no one will be waving lighters to this one.

Mob Rules will hit the ripe old age of 25 in 2019 and while we might have expected them to tame their Beast Reborn until then, I wouldn’t be too surprised to learn that the band were so excited by what they had on their hands here that they simply couldn’t wait to let everyone else hear it. After all they’ve never sounded better than they do right now.

Track Listing
1. Beast Reborn
2. Ghost Of A Chance
3. Shores Ahead
4. Sinister Light
5. Traveller In Time
6. Children's Crusade
7. War Of Currents
8. The Explorer
9. Revenant Of The Sea
10. Way Back Home
11. My Sobriety Mind (For Those Who Left)

Added: August 10th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Beast Reborn at Nuclear Blast
Hits: 1886
Language: english

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