Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2025 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
CELEBRATING 18 YEARS!
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
February 2025
- Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
- Mantric Momentum: Alienized
- Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
- Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
- Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
- Dream Theater: Parasomnia
- Tyran: Tyran's Oath
- Saber: Lost In Flames
January 2025
- Wildness: Avenger
- The Ferrymen: Iron Will
- Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
- Bonfire: Higher Ground
- The Big Deal: Electrified
- Landfall: Wide Open Sky
December 2024
- After Lapse: Pathways
- Illusion Force: Halfana
- Powell-Payne: Voilá
November 2024
- Sunstorm: Restless Fight
- Storace: Crossfire
- Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
- Lionville: Supernatural
- Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
- Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
- Lonerider: Down In The Dust
- Seventh Crystal: Entity
- Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
- Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
- Impellitteri: War Machine
- Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter
October 2024
- Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
- DGM: Endless
- Daytona: Garder la Flamme
- Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
- Frost*: Life In The Wires
- Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
- Fans Of The Dark: Video
- Radioactive: Reset
- House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
- Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire
Arctic Flame: Shake the Earth
Arctic Flame: Shake the Earth
Heavy Metal
4.0/5.0
Website
Facebook
Skull Crown Records / Pure Steel Records
by Craig Hartranft, 01.10.2013
Fanning the flames of classic heavy metal once more is New Jersey's Arctic Flame with their fourth album Shake the Earth. Their foundation and goal has always been traditional melodic heavy metal the best NWOBHM form wash through the raw American interpretation. Likely, because of this, they have found greater success and recognition in Europe.
Arctic Flame:: gray hair is just a metaphor.
I recall having some ambivalence with 2011's Guardian at the Gate, finding at slightly better than average classic metal. With Shake the Earth, I believe the band has improved, upped their game one might say. The songs are stronger, more melodic, more compact and efficient, even having a greater rock like groove. The guitar riffs seems larger, even challenging Michael Clayton Moore's significant vocals. The riffs seem crunchy at times, and the solos have a steely wavering feel at times, but there's a lot of them, and that's good. As for Moore, he still has a quite distinct sound, strong and clear, yet sometimes with the timbre of Ozzy.
The traditional metal abounds with Man Made Man, Hangman's Prayer, and Slaves to the Alchemist more steady pieces. Arctic Flame injects some speed metal into the arrangements as within Last Chance and Call the Priest. There's even a sublime metal(?) ballad: Moore singing over a simple piano. What you don't have is a lengthy epic piece like The Eternal from the previous album. But that's hardly a downside. Once again traditional metal fans will find Arctic Flame to be dead on target with Shake the Earth. Easily recommended.
Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.
TweetIn Short
Once again traditional metal fans will find Arctic Flame to be dead on target with Shake the Earth. Easily recommended.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
New & Notable
By now it's old news. Everybody in the prog universe knows: Dream Theater got the band back together. Drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy returned to his Dream Theater family to celebrate their 40th ... [ Read More ]