I'm going to have to agree with Nuclear Blast Record's Rainer Sautter: "From start to finish", he said, "Avenger is a power metal, ear-orgasm"! And he wasn't lying.
A must for any metal enthusiast, this disc has the spirit incarnate of the glory days of Iron Maiden & Judas Priest, complete with a true metal, state-of-the-art, end-of-the- millennium production.
The music is thick and powerful, sophisticated, serious, and liberally seasoned with fantastic harmony guitar work, rock solid bass lines, and some of the most technically proficient drum work these ears have ever heard.
There are also hints of an underlying storyline which give the work a conceptual feel, yet leaves each song the freedom to stand high on it's own merit. Best of all, the vocals are absolutely glorious! Aska's lead voice, George Call, has matured, hands down, into one of the best new singers on the scene today.
There are no spare or filler tracks on this work either. On past releases, some complained that certain ASKA songs had questionable 'glam' or 'pop metal' leanings in them. According to the band, this had always been done to add a little variety to the mix. This is certainly not in evidence on Avenger.
Here, every single song is a power metal winner...I love it all! I know it's sometimes hard to get excited about a cd in these "seen it all, heard it all" times we live in. I'm as big a cynic as the next guy but every now and again something comes along that reaffirms your commitment to this music. This Avenger disc does exactly that.
Do yourself a favor and get it today. Your ears will thank you. 5 out of 5 stars. (-Nicolas Stevens, METAL SAVIOR (USA).)
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