• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

April 2024

• War Grave: War Grave EP
• Six By Six: Beyond Shadowland
• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
• Praying Mantis: Defiance
• King Zebra: Between The Shadows
• About Us: Take A Piece
• Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories

March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
• Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
• Lipz: Changing The Melody
• The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
• Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
• Turbulence: Binary Dream
• Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
• D'Luna: Monster
• Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
• Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help

February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
• Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
• Honeymoon Suite: Alive
• Durbin: Screaming Steel
• Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
• Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
• Striker: Ultrapower
• Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
• Robert Hart: Circus Life

January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
• Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
• The Rods: Rattle The Cage
• Gotus: Gotus
• Metalite: Expedition One
• Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

[ More Music Reviews ]

The Ferrymen: The Ferrymen

Melodic Heavy Metal

4.0/5.0

Facebook
Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 31.05.2017

Whatever the project may be, if it involves guitarist, composer, and producer Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear, Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall, et al), then I'm on board and all in. Besides being a significant fret wizard, Karlsson is an exceptional writer of melodic heavy metal tunes. In his latest project, The Ferrymen, he's joined by vocalist Ronnie Romero (Lords Of Black, Rainbow) and drummer Mike Terrana (Rage, Axel Rudi Pell, et al).

The Ferrymen

Largely, with any Karlsson project the focus is upon both his song composition and guitar play. That's not to reduce the other players to cameo appearances. It's just a fact. The songs within this self-titled debut revolve around Karlsson's guitar riffs in harmony and melody, then his leads follow. Vocals serve to carry the melody of the song. Romero has a clean and melodic style, yet also very assertive to the point of seeming strained. Terrana on drums, being the heavy hitter as always, provides the essential rock groove. After these things, there's Karlsson's significant use of keyboards for things as simple as carrying the melody in a piano line to adding the embellishment of synth orchestration. Wrap these things together, mostly Karlsson's riffs and synths, and The Ferrymen songs has depth and breadth of character that's both lush and bombastic. Then there's his large and fiesty guitar solos that soar like so many bottle rockets throughout. If there is any slight downside to all this, it was Romero's voice, which seemed unvarying, nearly monotone, in style. I quickly tired of it. Nevertheless, overall, Magnus Karlsson's The Ferrymen is another strong project, an album filled with bristling and entertaining melodic heavy metal. Top song picks: Fool You All, Still Standing Up, How The Story Ends, and the metal ballad, One Heart.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Magnus Karlsson's The Ferrymen is another strong project, an album filled with bristling and entertaining melodic heavy metal. Recommended.

Alphabetical Index

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]