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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Ross The Boss - Born Of Fire + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
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│║ ║ │
│║ Rls Date..2020-04-01 Encoder......LAME 3.100 ║ │
│║ Genre.....Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year......2020 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........12 ║ │
│║ Source....CD Covers.......Yes ║ │
│║ Url..http://www.ross-the-boss.com ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Ross The Boss ║ │
│║ Album : Born Of Fire ║ │
│║ Label : AFM Records ║ │
│║ Cat.No : FO1553CD ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The years may be taking their toll on AmericaÆs original ║ │
│║ heavy metal prognosticators of all things Conan The ║ │
│║ Barbarian, but theyÆve been fairly kind to original ║ │
│║ guitarist who helped put said New York pioneers on the map. ║ │
│║ This isnÆt to say that Manowar has lost any of their fire ║ │
│║ while on stage, but with a growing number of re-recordings ║ │
│║ of classic albums and little in the way of new material, ║ │
│║ their former old school six-string maestro Ross The Boss ║ │
│║ have been one-upping them in the studio of late. Following ║ │
│║ about 8 years of sparse activity and a recent lineup shift, ║ │
│║ which saw iconic Symphony X bassist Mike LePond and former ║ │
│║ Meliah Rage front man Marc Lopes enter the fold, they ║ │
│║ fielded a respectable conservative outing in 2018Æs By ║ │
│║ Blood Sworn after the spirit of Sign Of The Hammer, ║ │
│║ complete with several well realized Manowar covers to boot. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ While not quite as overt of a rehash of the good old days ║ │
│║ as the aforementioned third studio offering out of this ║ │
│║ project, Born Of Fire definitely comes chock full of those ║ │
│║ classic early to mid-80s heavy metal vibes that burn hot ║ │
│║ enough to melt steel. The tempo tends to be a bit more on ║ │
│║ the swift side, resulting in a number of modernized takes ║ │
│║ on the more straight up, speedy anthems that dominated much ║ │
│║ of Battle Hymns. For his part, the guitarist who shares ║ │
│║ this outfitÆs name makes an impressive showing, laying down ║ │
│║ biting speed metal riff work with about the same degree of ║ │
│║ intensity as what the likes of Primal Fear, Metalium and ║ │
│║ Mystic Prophecy were bringing to the table back in the ║ │
│║ early to mid 2000s. Alongside a vicious display by the ║ │
│║ rhythm section and specifically LePondÆs chunky and active ║ │
│║ bass work, the entire instrumental battery on display is a ║ │
│║ veritable force of nature unto itself. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Yet curiously enough, this albumÆs tone and tenor is ║ │
│║ defined most of all by the jagged-edged, often over-the-top ║ │
│║ vocal display of Marc Lopes. For anyone who remembers the ║ │
│║ shout-happy, gravely vocal display that Eric Adams brought ║ │
│║ to Kings Of Metal, this comes off as a more ║ │
│║ steroid-injected variant of the original, adorned with ║ │
│║ occasional moments of cleaner, quasi-operatic moments that ║ │
│║ dovetail with the likes of Henning Basse and Alan Tecchio, ║ │
│║ occasionally giving way to a higher end shriek somewhat in ║ │
│║ line with James Rivera. The resulting catharsis of raw ║ │
│║ aggression between the vocals and fast-paced instrumental ║ │
│║ thunder makes straightforward and compact speed metal ║ │
│║ anthems like ôGlory To The Slainö, ôI Am The Swordö and ║ │
│║ ôDenied By The Crossö into formidable offerings, with the ║ │
│║ latter song and biting riff-monster ôBorn Of Fireö going so ║ │
│║ far as to blur the lines with thrash metal. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Though this is a bit more of a streamlined approach to ║ │
│║ metal relative to the occasional forays into long-winded ║ │
│║ epic material that often adorned 80s Manowar, there are ║ │
│║ some moments where Ross and company opt for more varied ║ │
│║ material. One of the more noticeable interludes into ║ │
│║ slightly deeper territory is the folksy, quasi-symphonic ║ │
│║ coaster ôMaiden Of Shadowsö, which features some solid ║ │
│║ keyboard work out of Lopes and a lofty, almost Viking-like ║ │
│║ aesthetic. Generally swift yet more melodically-tinged ║ │
│║ cookers like ôUndyingö and ôDemon Holidayö spare little in ║ │
│║ the aggression department; yet come off as a tad bit more ║ │
│║ European in demeanor. But the closest this album ventures ║ │
│║ into recreating something along the lines of epic Manowar ║ │
│║ anthems like ôDefenderö and ôBridge Of Deathö is the ║ │
│║ slower-paced closer ôThe Blackest Heartö, though even here ║ │
│║ things have more of an early 80s, Black Sabbath-influenced ║ │
│║ vibe than anything else. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ There isnÆt really much to complain about here if pure, ║ │
│║ uncompromising heavy metal with an abundance of attitude is ║ │
│║ the preferred poison. About the only real strikes against ║ │
│║ Born Of Fire is that formula is almost one-dimensional in ║ │
│║ character and the vocal display does get a tad overbearing ║ │
│║ in the rawness department. It sports a crunchy, almost ║ │
│║ saw-like production that puts heavy emphasis on both body ║ │
│║ and edge, giving it a bit more of a metallic luster when ║ │
│║ compared to the bulk of ManowarÆs post-2002 output. The ║ │
│║ melodic hooks on display here are maybe a tad less catchy, ║ │
│║ but the overall impact factor at play here is about as ║ │
│║ explosive as it can get without abandoning the heavy/power ║ │
│║ metal paradigm. ItÆs definitely a solid listen for fans of ║ │
│║ the older, more primitive side of RossÆ original bandÆs ║ │
│║ first 4 albums, all the while being crushingly modern ║ │
│║ enough to play well with younger power/thrash trustees. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Originally written for Sonic Perspectives ║ │
│║ (www.sonicperspectives.com) ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 1. Glory To The Slain 2:48 │
│ 2. Fight The Fight 3:13 │
│ 3. Denied By The Cross 3:35 │
│ 4. Maiden Of Shadows 4:06 │
│ 5. I Am The Sword 3:11 │
│ 6. Shotgun Evolution 3:29 │
│ 7. Born Of Fire 3:07 │
│ 8. Godkiller 4:09 │
│ 9. The Blackest Heart 5:05 │
│ 10. Demon Holiday 3:49 │
│ 11. Undying 4:26 │
│ 12. Waking The Moon 4:24 │
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│ Total Length : 00:45:22 │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
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│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
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