Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2023 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.
- 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
March 2023
- Excalion: Once Upon A Time
- RPWL: Crime Scene
- Transworld Identity: Seven Worlds
- Stormwarning: Stormwarning
- Phantom Elite: Blue Blood
- Narnia: Ghost Town
- Redemption: I Am The Storm
- Cross Country Driver: The New Truth
- The Banishment: Machine And Bone
- Seventh Crystal: Wonderland
- Demons Down: I Stand
February 2023
- Air Raid: Fatal Encounter
- Robin McAuley: Alive
- Creye: III - Weightless
- All My Shadows: Eerie Monsters
- First Signal: Face Your Fears
- Gabrielle de Val: Kiss In A Dragon Night
- We Came From Space: Overlords
- T3nors: Naked Soul
- Wig Wam: Out Of The Dark
- Khymera: Hold Your Ground
- Infinite & Divine: Ascendancy
- eMolecule: The Architect
January 2023
- Girish & The Chronicles: Back On Earth (Reissue)
- Arctic Rain: Unity
- Electric Mob: 2 Make U Cry & Dance
- Crowne: Operation Phoenix
- Ronnie Romero: Raised On Heavy Radio
- Ten: Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Riverside: ID.Entity
- Issa: Lights Of Japan
- Heroes And Monsters: Heroes And Monsters
- Big City: Sunwind Sails
December 2022
- NY Fury: I Want It All
- Tommy DeCarlo: Dancing In The Moonlight
- Tarmat: Out Of The Blue
- Scream Maker: Bloodking
- Sabu: Banshee
- Rob Moratti: Epical
- Nevena: Nevena
- Landfall: Elevate
- After Lapse: Face The Storm
Aska: Fire Eater
Aska: Fire Eater
Heavy/Power Metal
3.5/5.0
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pure Steel Records
by Craig Hartranft
09.19.2013
Aska leader, vocalist, and guitarist George Call has been busy the last few years. He helped toresurrect traditional US metal band Banshee as the vocalist for 2012's Mindslave. Call has also aided fellow Pure Steel stablemate Warrion to kickstart their first album. Now he returns with his mates of Aska for their sixth album, Fire Eater.
Aska: nicely Photoshopped.
Once more Call and Aska stray little from their traditional heavy/power metal roots. The very fact that they cover Judas Priest's The Ripper shows exactly where this band stands: true metal on the American side of things. But they're not afraid to mix things up.
By example, Harlot of Eden reminds more of edgier melodic hard rock than metal. Then there's the ballad Angela which moves by light guitar and Call showing more restraint in his vocal performance. Later, this motif returns with the anthem Year of Jubilee, which has this highly orchestrated symphonic foundation, again, with Call milder in his approach. These seem a large contrast to other songs, because there is definitely traditional metal here. Everyone Dies, Valhalla, the racing Eye of the Serpent, and the catchy Dead Again are definitely 'true' metal. As for The Ripper? It's alright, but on his best day Call can't rival Halford. Can anybody? Otherwise, Aska's Fire Eater is strong and entertaining traditional American heavy metal, with a few surpises thrown in. Recommended.
In Short
Aska's Fire Eater is strong and entertaining traditional American heavy metal, with a few surpises thrown in.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
Album of the Week
Formed 23 years ago, Finland's Excalion has had a turbulent musical career. Before releasing a trio of albums between 2005 and 2010, they had personnel changes. Currently, only the drummer and keyboard ... [ Read More ]