I continue to be a fan of Amore’s vocals and he really lets it all hang out here. Most of the material here is engaging and addictive fun and far heavier than you would expect. There are one or two tracks that don’t keep up with the herd, most notably “Mission for God,” but they aren’t bad, just a bit flat by comparison. The highlight is “Ghost in the Mirror,” which is aggressive as hell with huge vocals and even death croaks! The chorus is bigger than Yellowstone and it all just feels so…METAL! “I Am Immortal” is thick and chunky with a very Russell Allen-esque vocal performance, and “Invoking Demons” takes the quasi-power ballad concept to heavier places as Amore sells the song like girl scout cookies at Burning Man. “Forbidden Tribe” is another burner with ginormous riffing and wailing vocals, featuring a strong Brainstorm vibe and another doozy of a chorus. The song itself is a gem and their ear for memorable melody will have you eating from their hand come chorus time. He never goes full Dio, nor full Russell, but his leather lunged delivery always commands attention and respect. The riffing is in-your-face and deadly serious like the recent Brainstorm outing and Jo Amore’s vocals walk the line between an angry Dio and the wicked growl of Sir Russell Allen. The briefest sample of opener “Bringer of a No Man’s Land” reveals a heavy and hefty take on the genre, leaving the frills and fruit far behind. Much like 2012’s impressive Burden of God, The Aftermath is a manly dose of ripping power with a heaping helping of Pantera, Brainstorm and Grave Digger and it’s definitely not your sister’s brand of euro-silliness. Yep, these cats pack a lot of muscle and menace in their music and between the crunching guitars and rough and raucous vocals, you’ll forget all about the need to snicker. You try to give them a wedgie or rear admiral and you may lose a tooth or six. However, none of that shit is going to fly with French power meisters Nightmare. Needless to say, that makes them the target for the rest of metaldom and inevitably, lunch money gets stolen and nipples get twisted. Members of said club tend to be overdramatic, artsy fartsy and prone to big gestures and frilly shirts. Let’s face it, power metal is the drama club of the metal world.
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