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

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

September 2024

• Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
• Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
• Eclipse: Megalomanium II
• SteelCity: Reverence
• Hydra: ReHydrated
• Heartwind: III
• Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
• Find Me: Nightbound
• The Nail: The Nail
• Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
• Stryper: When We Were Kings
• Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
• Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
• Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

• Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
• Paralydium: Universe Calls
• Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
• Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
• All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
• Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

July 2024

• Ironflame: Kingdom Torn Asunder
• Spektra: Hypnotized
• (Michael) Palace: Reckless Heart
• Mr. Big: Ten
• Dark Mile: Dark Mile

June 2024

• Kaipa: Sommargryningsljus
• Sunbomb: Light Up The Sky
• Seven Spires: A Fortress Called Home
• Atlantic: Another World
• Xeneris: Eternal Rising
• New Horizon: Conquerors
• Issa: Another World

[ More Music Reviews ]

Air Raid: Across The Line

Heavy/Speed Metal

4.5/5.0

Facebook
High Roller Records
Review: Craig Hartranft
Added: 27.09.2017

In terms of a studio album, the last we heard from Sweden's Air Raid was 2014's Point Of Impact, a decent traditional heavy metal album. They followed this with a small ten gig tour and appearances at two festivals, Rock Hard Festival and Ruhrpott Metal Meeting. Now the band returns with their third album, Across The Line, with the addition of new second guitarist Magnus Mild and new vocalist Fredrik Werner.

Air Raid

If you recall Air Raid, they play traditional heavy metal in the vein of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, yet with a prominent injection of classic speed metal. The band sticks with the basic formula: twin guitars for harmonious riffage and thrilling lead solos; a rhythm section that offers pacing from steady to speed metal gallop, while all the time offering rock groove; and Werner supplies traditional heavy metal vocals, singing clean, maybe a bit gruff, but always following the melody and harmony of the song. Werner is Air Raid's third vocalist in eight years, and probably their best singer to date. His gruffness can be assertive, but you settle into his vocal timbre.

As for the songs, they are as expected from Air Raid, mostly galloping speed metal tunes which race along and then deliver an abundance of blistering solos. While I found no song a disappointment, songs such as Aiming For The Sky, Raid Or Die, Cold As Ice, Hell And Back, And Hold Line were the best examples. This was simply because the twin guitar harmony was vibrant and the rock groove rose from the galloping pace. Overall, Air Raid's Across The Line may be their best, most musically consistent, album to date. For classic melodic heavy speed metal in the best tradition of the genre, Air Raid's Across The Line delivers the goods. Buy it, 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.

Air Raid's Across The Line may be their best, most musically consistent, album to date. For classic melodic heavy speed metal in the best tradition of the genre, Air Raid's Across The Line delivers the goods. Buy it, easily recommended.

Alphabetical Index

By far, Sweden's Eclipse is one of my favorite bands. Always consistent and always entertaining, Eclipse has been delivering their 21st century version of melodic metal rock since songwriter, producer ... [ Read More ]