Mass New Birth Reissue 1985 : New Music Review : Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock : CD Album Music Review : Dangerdog Music Reviews

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Mass: New Birth

Melodic Hard Rock/Metal

4.0/5.0

Band Website
Retroactive Records
review by Craig Hartranft, 01.23.2012

Despite good intentions of the plethora of the Eighties hard rock and metal bands that 'made it,' and those that didn't, many need not be revisited, let alone resurrected. Boston's Mass is not one of them.

On the cusp of the Eighties metal phenomena, and sometimes ahead of their peers, Mass cut their own path, mostly. Big hair, yes. Tight jeans, yes. Swagger, yes. But also well-crafted songs with good musicianship, notably the vocals and guitar, mark 1985's New Birth. This is very strong, classic, Eighties melodic metal. Metal is should be used loosely in comparison to today's many versions; in other words, this is almost tame considering the modern alternatives.

Nevertheless, New Birth swells with pride, rocking hard and delivering the goods. While the PR material boasts the remastering, expect this album to sound crisp, but sometimes soft. Honestly, it needs to be listened to loud, and through a good stereo system. Don't play this on your computer speakers or rip it to your iPod. It will suck. And if you have a sub-standard car audio system, well, you get my drift.

Cutting to the chase, blistering tunes include Too Far Gone, Time, Back to Me, and Left Behind, among others. Then there's some solid power ballads in Do You Love Me and Day Without You. Voyager reminds of the epic metal popularized by early Iron Maiden. Ultimately, New Birth is a well-rounded album.

Perhaps their signature album, New Birth finds Mass in tremendous form: solid, classic, and extremely entertaining Eighties melodic metal. Get it.

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