Time Signature Battle cry...

Genre: heavy metal

Who says good old traditional metal died? It is alive and kicking, and Redline's "Vice" is one of many really awesome traditionally oriented metal albums to be released in the recent years.

What is particularly interesting about this album is that it really takes the listener on a journey through all the sounds that made 80s metal awesome, and at the same times it has a heavier sound and crunchier guitar than ever heard in traditional 80s metal.

The opening track "Battle Cry" is an aggressive affair featuring some near-power metal (US Power metal, that is) elements as well as some catchy vocal lines, combining these with a slightly Judas Priest-oriented feel. The following track 'King of the Mountain' is more of a traditional metal affair, which nonetheless features some heavy, crunching guitars (this also applies to 'Some Kind of Mean'). 'Black Sky' continues in the heavier vein, but also features some more AOR-oriented elements in the bridge, and, overall, this track reminds me a bit of the Black Sabbath of the mid-80s. In contrast, 'No Limits' is an uptempo highway-cruisin' friendly rocker, and the melodic 'Twistin' the Knife' (another awesome track) takes us back to metal-meets-AOR land. 'Cold Silence' and the heavier 'Edge of Falling' are a true power ballad - pompous and all - while 'High Price to Pay' is a traditional pumping-bass-and-groovin'-guitars affair, while the uptempoe 'We Came To Rock' is very much a mission-accomplished statement from this first class metal band.

The production is considerably heavy, and the crunchy guitar is almost brutal (by traditional metal standards), giving the chucking riffs a skullbashing edge, while the guitar solos are shreddy and exuberant - they are larger than life, and awesome. Singer Kez Taylor has an instantly recognizable voice, and he delivers the melodic hooklines perfectly, while the rhythm section is rock solid.

Fans of traditional metal with a slight are bound to love this hard rocker of an album which captures all that is good in traditional metal, reminding us that this genre is very much alive and will probably never die.