PERSUADER – The Friction Maze
- Posted on 30-01-2014
Eight years seems like an eternity to wait for a follow up album, but it’s not as if the members of power metal band Persuader were idling their time away. Guitarists Jens Carlsson and Emil Norberg worked with Savage Circus on a couple of albums, drummer Efraim Juntunen and guitarist Daniel Sundbom played with the thrash band Guillotine, and bassist Fredrik Hedström played in a few cover bands. The band lost their third label in three albums when Dockyard 1 filed for bankruptcy, and I think it was smart for them to take a step back and evaluate before forging onward with this fourth studio record.
"The Friction Maze" should be a revelation for those into old school Blind Guardian. Remember all the trademarks layering of guitar harmonies, occasional forays into middle-ages folk for comfort, and vocal harmonies that bring the audiences to their feet shouting along with the ride? Then check out "One Lifetime", the mid-tempo tear-jerker "Deep in the Dark", and exotically-tinged "Sent to the Grave" and prepare to bang thy head like it hasn’t been banged in quite some time. Jens handles the vocals again and he could be the twin of Hansi from Blind Guardian- the rasp, the commanding screams, the chilling mid-range- it’s all there and more.
I enjoy the almost Judas Priest like guitar effects and straightforward punch within "Heathen"- probably one of the heaviest Persuader songs heard to date, with a couple of riffs portraying a heavier "Eye of the Tiger" feel, and the lower punch for "Worlds Collide" works as well as the musicality goes hand in hand with the fierce ebb and flow between the verses and musical accompaniment. The time away I think allowed Persuader to blend together their normal power metal tendencies with a sense of darker atmosphere at times- giving these songs a much deeper meaning for the listener.
Please let’s not wait until 2020 for the follow up though.