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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
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│ + Tad Morose - Chapter X-(GMRCD1716) + │
│ │
│ │
│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Sep-13-2018 Encoder......L3.98.4 -V0 --lowpas ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2018 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........14 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.tadmorose.se ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Tad Morose Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Chapter X-(GMRCD1716) Label : GMR ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Being at the forefront of a particular niche in ║ │
│║ the metal world can be a blessing and a curse, ║ │
│║ the former usually manifests in getting the ║ │
│║ recognition of doing things a given way before ║ │
│║ it became fashionable, the latter downside being ║ │
│║ that when it becomes a movement it will ║ │
│║ eventually start to be diluted by cheap ║ │
│║ imitation. By the late 90s when the power metal ║ │
│║ style achieved a complete renaissance, it wasn't ║ │
│║ all just about high fantasy exploits and ║ │
│║ freewheeling through the cosmos on the coattails ║ │
│║ of Judas Priest's Painkiller, as there were a ║ │
│║ small contingent of bands that took on a darker ║ │
│║ and more sinister tone that dovetailed with the ║ │
│║ groove-infused sound that the same purveyors of ║ │
│║ British steel ushered in with Tim "Ripper" Owens ║ │
│║ at the helm. Much of the credit to pioneering ║ │
│║ this approach goes to Sweden's own Tad Morose ║ │
│║ when Urban Breed took the mic, after a brief ║ │
│║ stint as a progressive metal outfit with ║ │
│║ Kristian AndrΘn (who ironically also had a brief ║ │
│║ stint in Bloodbound after Urban Breed left) at ║ │
│║ the fore, infusing occasional helpings of ║ │
│║ nimbler speed metal and dense doom metal ║ │
│║ influenced aesthetics to complement this new ║ │
│║ power metal synthesis. Following a sting of ║ │
│║ successful albums in 2003, it all went dark for ║ │
│║ this outfit and others such as France's ║ │
│║ Nightmare, Cryonic Temple, Steel Attack and ║ │
│║ Bloodbound attempted albums in a similar style ║ │
│║ with varying degrees of success. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ About ten years later with the vocalist who ║ │
│║ brought a similar stylistic vibe to this outfit ║ │
│║ to Steel Attack, otherwise known as Daniel ║ │
│║ Heiman's slightly grittier doppelganger Ronny ║ │
│║ Hemlin, this outfit set about rekindling the old ║ │
│║ magic. Though the previous efforts were marred ║ │
│║ by a lack of cohesion, the potential was ║ │
│║ definitely present from the get go, and with the ║ │
│║ release of Chapter X, that potential has been ║ │
│║ unleashed with a passionate fervor in similar ║ │
│║ territory to the likes of Matters Of The Dark ║ │
│║ and Modus Vivendi. The thudding grooves, creepy ║ │
│║ keyboard backdrops, soaring guitar solos and ║ │
│║ most of all, the melodramatic yet in control ║ │
│║ vocal gymnastics are all in place, culminating ║ │
│║ in a colossal blast of sonic darkness and rage ║ │
│║ that packs the punch of a thousand fists. Early ║ │
│║ on in his time in Steel Attack, many speculated ║ │
│║ that Hemlin to be the prime candidate to fill ║ │
│║ Heiman's shoes in the now virtually defunct icon ║ │
│║ of the power metal revival Lost Horizon, and the ║ │
│║ performance that he brings to this album is the ║ │
│║ long awaited revival of that vocal character, ║ │
│║ free of the overdone ravings and forced ║ │
│║ harshness that would often hamstring his upper ║ │
│║ range and give him an unintentionally comical ║ │
│║ character (see his work on Steel Attack's Carpe ║ │
│║ DiEnd). Combined with an even longer running ║ │
│║ time and larger collection of concise songs, ║ │
│║ this is the gift that just keeps on giving. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ As with any Tad Morose offering, there is ║ │
│║ naturally a wide array of expressions with their ║ │
│║ spectrum of auditory darkness, running the gamut ║ │
│║ between nuanced and mid-paced crushers and high ║ │
│║ octane thrill rides. One of the more jarring ║ │
│║ moves into traditional territory is the mid- ║ │
│║ paced "Masquerader", which almost has a ║ │
│║ Hammerfall-like vibe to it and wears the old ║ │
│║ school heavy metal sound right on its shirt- ║ │
│║ sleeve. A fairly similar brand of slow-paced ║ │
│║ traditionalism emerges in a somewhat darker feel ║ │
│║ emerges in "Come Morpheus", while "Leviathan ║ │
│║ Rise" hits the dank, doom-driven gloom that one ║ │
│║ might ordinarily associate with the slower ║ │
│║ material on Sabbath's Dehumanizer or Dio's ║ │
│║ subsequent similar offering Strange Highways, ║ │
│║ with a few added death barks to intensify the ║ │
│║ darkness factor. On the faster end of things is ║ │
│║ a sort of progressive thrasher with a hint of ║ │
│║ Nevermore-influences in "Nemesis" that grinds ║ │
│║ through heavy riffs with a vengeance, while ║ │
│║ "Deprived Of Light" cruises with a bit more of a ║ │
│║ Helloween-like vibe, albeit interpreted into ║ │
│║ their heavier aesthetic and listening more along ║ │
│║ the lines of The Dark Ride. But when all is said ║ │
│║ and done, the point where everything just falls ║ │
│║ totally into place is the high octane speed ║ │
│║ metal fury ride "Turn To Dust", which somehow ║ │
│║ manages to take the signature approach reserved ║ │
│║ to Primal Fear and make it heavier. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ This is the first time in more than a decade ║ │
│║ that any band has managed to hit total pay dirt ║ │
│║ playing this style, and there has been a fair ║ │
│║ degree of lackluster material that has tried to ║ │
│║ tread this same night-stricken path within what ║ │
│║ some may consider the lightest sub-genre of ║ │
│║ metal. It perfectly translates that eclectic ║ │
│║ approach to riff work and feel that the band ║ │
│║ originally translated from their progressive ║ │
│║ metal roots into something that has a massive ║ │
│║ degree of staying power, all the while also ║ │
│║ satisfying the accessibility factor and moderate ║ │
│║ time length needed to draw in those who normally ║ │
│║ only go for this sort of heavy-ended, chunky ║ │
│║ production sound when heard out of the likes of ║ │
│║ Dream Evil and other acts produced by or ║ │
│║ otherwise associated with Fredrik Nordstrom. ║ │
│║ It's an album that will definitely enjoy ║ │
│║ favorable reception among those who enjoy the ║ │
│║ concise and varied character of the more AOR- ║ │
│║ tinged offerings out of the likes of Masterplan ║ │
│║ and Nocturnal Rites, while being geared a bit ║ │
│║ more towards the darker and meaner offerings ║ │
│║ heard out of Mystic Prophecy and Brainstorm. ║ │
│║ Here is to hoping that Chapter X will not be the ║ │
│║ last chapter in the Tad Morose autobiography, ║ │
│║ and that this is the approach that they continue ║ │
│║ to stick with in the coming years. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Review written by hells_unicorn for www.metal- ║ │
│║ archives.com ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ronny Hemlin - Vocals ║ │
│║ Kenneth Jonsson - Guitars ║ │
│║ Johan L÷fgren - Bass ║ │
│║ Christer "Krunt" Andersson - Guitars ║ │
│║ Peter MorΘn - Drums ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Apocalypse [05:22] │
│ 02 - Come Morpheus [04:59] │
│ 03 - Deprived Of Light [03:05] │
│ 04 - I Am Night [04:40] │
│ 05 - Leviathan Rise [04:41] │
│ 06 - Liar [04:51] │
│ 07 - Masquerader [03:50] │
│ 08 - Nemesis [04:26] │
│ 09 - Savage My Soul [04:43] │
│ 10 - Slaves To The Dying Sun [03:32] │
│ 11 - Turn To Dust [03:24] │
│ 12 - Vaunt The Cynical [04:45] │
│ 13 - Where Stars Align [04:36] │
│ 14 - ...Yet Still You Preach [03:43] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [60:37 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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