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MYSTERY BLUE
Metal Slaves
Road Show Productions |
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After
getting bombarded with a ton of progressive metal releases as of
late, it was truly a pleasure to receive the latest release from
Mystery Blue (who we featured about a year ago in our Fresh Blood
section). While the 3 track demo release we received last year whet
our appetite (they all appear here as well), the full length 11 song disc proves that Mystery Blue
are more than competent in delivering an overall strong CD. The
French, female fronted metal band has been around in one form or
another for 20 years now. Although, I have yet to hear the material
with their previous vocalist(s), Nathalie certainly is a diamond in
the rough with her Rob Halford meets Betsy Bitch / Doro Pesch vocal
delivery.
”Slave To Blood” sounds like Judas Priest ("Painkiller" era) meets Bitch
with a relentless, aggressive pace. During "S.T.A.G.E." and
"Roller Coaster Ride" Nathalie goes into vocal wails that would make
Halford or Bruce Dickinson proud. The mid-paced "Dark Visions"
shows that Mystery Blue can slow down a little bit without losing
their heaviness at all. Overall, there is no one track that
would be considered a ballad so to speak.
The song “Metal Dream” recalls “Ride You Through The Night” by D’Priest,
especially the drums of Vince Koehler who provides a heavy, pounding
back-end throughout the entire CD. “Metal Dream” rocks really hard and features the
old-school guitar style of Frenzy. Frenzy's guitar work is a
real treat for fans that want to hear serious shredding without the
pompousness of running scales only. The guitar tone is crisp
and razor sharp throughout.
"Angel" calls to mind obscure bands such as Malisha or Vixen
(Hawaii) with vocalist Kim LaChance. As a change of pace,
Nathalie's vocals seem to get grittier during "Land Of No Return".
Closing track "Cry Out" ends the discs on an intense high note and
some more piercing metal screams.
Considering how many 2nd and 3rd tiers bands have major metal label
deals, it is a shame that Mystery Blue has yet to be picked up by a
label such as AFM or SPV. Hopefully, reviews like this one
will open some people's minds to look beyond the safe (and quickly
becoming stale) metal borders of Germany and Sweden for some quality
talent. Most of the tracks on "Metal Slaves" stick in your
mind after only one or two listens while still retaining a heavy
edge that keeps calling you back for more.
Homepage:
http://www.mysteryblue.com
e-mail:
HMysteryblue@aol.com
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