KATANA — Heads Will Roll (review)

KATANA — Heads Will Roll album cover Album · 2011 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
J-Man
Something truly must be said for Sweden and their fantastic retro-hard rock scene right now! The amount of excellent melodic hard rock releases coming from the country is almost unbelievable, and one of the newest recruits in this retro-metal movement is Gothenburg's Katana. The band's appearance and musical direction decidedly sounds as if it were from the eighties - certainly not a bad thing if you're a fan of the golden age of heavy metal! This retrospective attitude leads to very minimal innovation, but I'm sure that wasn't the intent of the album in the slightest. All that really matters is that Heads Will Roll is a kick-ass album that successfully brings back the golden age of melodic heavy metal. And what could possibly be wrong with that?

Katana successfully recreates the sound of 80's heavy metal here - the mixture of glam metal, NWoBHM, and melodic hard rock sounds like it's straight out of 1985. Katana has managed to write some really memorable anthems here, with songs like "Livin' Without Fear" and "Heart In Tokyo" standing out as highlights. Every composition is strong, though, and perfectly executed by the fantastic musicians in the band. The guitar work from Patrik Essén and Tobias Karlsson especially stands out - these axemen certainly know how to play! My only significant gripe with the album is the production. Though certainly listenable, it sounds a bit muddy and the vocals are mixed poorly. It may be partially due to my MP3 promo copy, but I have no way of knowing whether or not the retail version sounds like this.

Heads Will Roll may not be the most groundbreaking album you'll ever come across, but it's a damn fine heavy metal effort that I've had a great time experiencing over the last few days. If you like retro-sounding melodic metal with tons of hooks and memorable riffs, as well as terrific musicianship and interesting compositions, Katana's debut full-length comes highly recommended. I'll play my 3.5 star card here. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the coming years!
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