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Soulhealer: Chasing the Dream
Soulhealer: Chasing the Dream
Melodic Hard Rock/Metal
4.0/5.0
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Pure Legend Records
by Craig Hartranft, 04.26.2013
It seems the success of their debut album has gotten Soulhealer some much needed attention. The band releases their sophomore effort, Chasing the Dream, on Germany's Pure Legend Records. Yet following up on that terrific first album might be a challenge.
Soulhealer:: not so happy.
That's not to say that Chasing the Dream is not a good album. It is. But I don't think it measures up to The Kings of Bullet Alley's admirable consistency. First, it takes a few songs to get started. Wicked Moon and Don't Look Back, excepting the good guitar solos, aren't all that compelling. But then the band rebounds with the worthy The Deception (watch the video below) and Chasing the Dream, mostly because the melody and groove make the songs irresistibly catchy.
The same could be said for Never Turn My Back on You, Finally Free and, maybe, the longer closing song, Smoke & Mirrors. But that song passes as Soulhealer's attempt to make more of an epic metal anthem, and they do quite well. It's not quite the tale of two albums in one as even those less gripping songs are still have some fine moments. Fundamentally, what Soulhealer does best is put a hard rock groove into melodic heavy metal. When they're on their A game then you get fine songs like The Deception or Never Turn My Back on You. In the end, if liked the first album, you should definitely check this one out too. Recommended.
SoulHealer - The Deception (Official video)
In Short
Soulhealer returns to blur the line between melodic hard rock and heavy metal, blending melody and groove with their metal for some very interesting and entertaining results.
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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 ]