To name all the great metal albums of 2010 would take too long. However, two albums stick out above the rest: Sabaton's Coat of Arms and Enforcer's Diamonds.
In order for an album to be considered great, it should have enough good songs that you can listen to it in its entirety without skipping over any tracks. With the odd exception, the two albums mentioned safely fulfill that requirement.
For those not familiar with the band, Sabaton is a relatively new band from Sweden.They play traditional Power Metal with lyrics focusing on historical warfare. Coat of Arms is packed with tracks like Uprising (dealing with the Warsaw Uprising of 1944), Screaming Eagles( about the 101st Airborne Division) and The Final Solution.
Lyrically, they are capable of telling a good story that is historically factual and well versed. This is what attracted me to the band initially.
Musically, they are able to deliver a good punch without having to be over complicated. Their songs mostly consist of a formula: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, breakdown with a solo, chorus, chorus, which works very well for them. They are able to choose substance over style.
Enforcer is another relatively new metal band from Sweden; Diamonds is only their Second release. Many have labeled them as Old School Metal, which I don't believe does them justice. These guys have managed to take the best aspects of Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Van Halen, and develop their own sound within that spectrum. Enforcer is able to pay tribute to the masters while still maintaining their own voice.
Looking at their pictures, its safe to assume that most of the members are in their twenties. All of them are quite skilled as musicians. I was especially impressed with the bass player who definitively graduated from the University of Steve Harris. He plays with his fingers and plays a major role in the music.
When you add all that to a formula of fast tempos, harmonized solos, and catchy choruses, Diamonds is definitely one of the stronger albums of the year.
Friday, December 31, 2010
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