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Ahhh Power Metal. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit that it has a solid presence in our beloved metal genre. While it may seem as if the originality factor has diminished sometime ago, there still is something to be said for a band who can produce some headbanging, fist pounding anthems. Hailing from Germany is Predator, formed in 2001 [Editor's comment: between 1996 and 2001 the band was known as Stormblade], releasing their self-titled debut album in 2004. While the band can be considered a newcomer to the scene, they are not new to metal music, as they are made up of experienced musicians from former German bands Stormblade and Mindless Crime. With that in mind, it is not surprising that the guys have a knack for writing a catchy tune. All the classic power metal elements are there--galloping riffs, catchy melodies, blazing solos. The band has good technical ability but I found their greatest strength to be in their songwriting. All of the songs are able to retain a certain level of quality about them. For the most part, there is very little venturing into uncharted territory though, with songs falling into the 4-5 minute range. You have your steady speedy pace, with your occasional acoustic intro mixed in. Of course what would a power metal album be without a catchy chorus? There are plenty those present as well. Basically you are not going to find anything too groundbreaking with this record, however fans of power metal would benefit to know that this is indeed a good listen. Predator is a newcomer that could seemingly achieve an upper tier status if they are able to expand their sound a bit on their next records. On a side note, the disc was mastered by Eike Freese at Eikey Studio (Twisted Tower Dire, Dark Age). Favorite tracks: Buried Alive, Coming Home, and Outlaw.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Predator |
| 2. Addicted To Pain |
| 3. Hollow Words |
| 4. Buried Alive |
| 5. Coming Home |
| 6. Dream's Assassin |
| 7. Escape From Nowhere |
| 8. Outlaw |
| 9. Waiting Forever |
| 10. Night Of The Witches |
: 46.20
| Buy other Predator albums |
