Heed was formed when Daniel Heiman and Fredrik Olsson parted ways with their previous band Lost Horizon, enlisting the services of Mats Karlsson on drums and Jorgen Olsson on bass. Quite different from Lost Horizon, considering neither Heiman nor Olsson were the primary songwriters in the band, Heed sees the duo implementing a heavier sound to their songs, carried by Heiman's powerful vocals and Olsson's impressive guitar work, so it's best not to expect a Lost Horizon clone when listening to this debut album.
The Call consists of twelve songs, defined by aggressive guitar work, occasionally supplemented by keyboards, thunderous rhythm slam, and soaring vocals. Unlike his work in Lost Horizon, Heiman opts for a vast array of singing styles: he whispers, he growls, he does the classic sing-along Euro power metal harmonies, and even some cinematic spoken passages. Starting with a dark intro, the album picks up its pace with "I Am Alive", a bludgeoning metal feast defined by chunky riffery and screaming melodic vocals. Traces of electronic effects and processed vocal acrobatics briefly appear on "Last Drop of Blood" before the piece transforms into a fierce metal number. Likewise, "Enemy" is chock full of bass grooves and an epic arrangement, and evokes pictures of a battle field. Heiman is also supported by renowned singer Goran Edman on the album to add diversity to the songs, though his presence isn't all that noticeable. The speed metal fury of "Tears of Prodigy" and the catchy melodic metal piece "Hypnosis", complete with nordic elements, beautifully lead to the album finale, "Nothing". Mostly acoustic-based, it is a great ballad highlighting Heiman's emotive vocals. However, four minutes into the piece, everything drops out and there is full silence for nearly ten full minutes until the band wraps the album up with chaotic screaming and shred-intensive guitar work. How well it fits the record is debatable, considering this has been done to death on way too many albums recently and seems to serve no purpose at all, except taking up more space on the CD.
That said, The Call is an album worth checking out for the average power metal fan and a successful debut for sure.
Track Listing
- Heed Hades
- I Am Alive
- Last Drop of Blood
- Ashes
- Enemy
- Salvation
- Tears of Prodigy
- The Other Side
- Hypnosis
- Moments
- The Permanent End Celebration
- Nothing
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