1. Crown of Thorns
2. Leather
3. Escape : Victorious
4. Angels of War
5. Prelude to Darkness
6. Eternal Night
7. Imperial Rome
8. Against the Gods
9. Lethal Injection
10. Valkyries
11. Warriors Return
Quite honestly, I had no idea what CD to recommend here. Most of the music in my collection, that strays from mainstream (well... the Metal mainstream), I've discovered through this forum. And it's quite unlikely that I'm going to recommend anything Black, Brutal or Pagan, of quality, that the regulars aren't already well acquainted with. That in mind, I decided to go with a personal favorite; Aska.
Like many genres, Power Metal is hardly overflowing with originality. Often, what separates loving or being uninterested in a particular Power Metal band, comes down to the vocalist. And therein lies the reason I so enjoy this band. Vocalist George Call just knows how to bring it. His voice isn't especially original, but when it's time to for the vocals to take a song to the next level, he brings it... in abundance. For evidence, just give a listen to "Crown of Thorns" from the 3:36 mark to the 4:15 mark, and Valkyries, 2:07 to 2:45.
Musically Aska breaks no new ground. They are old school, through and through. They wear their dual allegiances to Manowar and Maiden on their sleeve, like the proud children of the that they are. Personally, I dig the way the Manowar "cheese factor" is mitigated by the Maiden vibe. In kind, I dig the fun aspect that the Manowar influence has over their Maidenesque leanings.
All in all, I don't know that a disc like this will find much of an audience here. But if one person digs it, and buys the disc, mission accomplished.
Zod
......guilty pleasures all the way. Obvious Maidenclone riffs and the vocals are good, but still not as good as they were on the opening track.
