BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER – Brother Against Brother
- by J.N.
- Posted on 22-07-2021
There was something alluring and exciting about glancing at the amazing artwork to this self-titled effort by the sparkling new outfit named Brother Against Brother and it just so turned out to be an excellent pairing of two exceptionally gifted and skilled vocalists, namely Renan Zonta (Electric Mob) and Nando Fernandez (Sinistra). Backed by a tight and solid rhythm section consisting of Michele Sanna (drums) and Alessandro Del Vecchio (bass, keyboards, and backing vocals) and then rounded off by the talented guitar-slinger Jonas Hörnqvist, Brother Against Brother deliver epic heavy metal with soaring melodies, thunderous riffs, and stratospheric vocals. Zonta and Fernandez complement each other beautifully throughout and their rich, colorful voices work insanely well together. With the whole band chiming in with an energetic and focused performance, this is some truly powerful stuff, and I must say that this one is much better than expected. Why is that? Well, some of the Frontiers projects are somewhat underwhelming and even though the album artwork instantly appealed to me here, I did approach the musical affair with a subtle sense of skepticism. Thankfully, this constellation of musicians simply works and there is no shortage of passion to be found here. In some ways, it reminds me of Lords of Black and some of the projects that Ronnie Romero (Rainbow) has been involved in only that "Brother Against Brother" is much better and a more rewarding listen than the aforementioned L.O.B. and anything that you will find in their discography.
What more could you ask for than countless great harmonies, bucketloads of atmosphere, and memorable tunes? A most pleasant surprise and this is more than merely a showcase for two fabulous singers; it is a musically strong piece of work and a truly enjoyable listening experience. Fans of (melodic) heavy metal should add this one to their list of records to check out.