Acer Fury – Crazy King (CD Review)

Get ready to transport yourself back to the late ’80s and early ’90s with German rockers Acer Fury. This band released a vinyl single for “Crazy King” with “Village in a Rage” as the B-side in 1989. They continued to record songs through 1992 that were never officially released until now. A new, full release for Crazy King with 14 remastered tracks is available now – the first ever Decibel Geek sponsored CD release!

This compilation features tracks recorded between 1988 – 1992. You can hear the progression of the band, and especially vocalist Arnie Arnaldi. With his later tracks, his voice is much more distinctive and polished. With the dual attack by guitarists Chris J. White and U.B. Vincent, the songs aren’t lacking for guitar power. These two deliver riffs and solos to drive these songs in all their head-banging glory. Bassist Ö-li and drummer Gary G. hold down the rhythm with a few opportunities to shine, especially on “In the Name of God.”

The CD blasts straight into the title track with an extended guitar-heavy intro. After “Village in a Rage,” the next four songs struggle with sound quality. These songs would have been better served if they were re-recorded. Although, of these “Vampire on the Run” highlights the creativity and potential of White and Vincent‘s guitar work. “Aggressive Art” kicks it back into high-quality sound for the rest of the CD and the strongest material.

While the first half of the CD sounds like a band experimenting and searching for their sound, the last half (except for the odd and slow “Unicorns Die Lonely“) captures Acer Fury at their best. They seemed to find their niche as these songs are ambitious and more focused. All the elements come together on standout tracks “Lost in the Dark“, “Eternal Storm” and “Storm in My Mind.”

Compared to bands like Accept, Noisehunter, and Stormwitch, check this CD out for a dose of melodic heavy metal that’ll have you horns up and headbanging. The CD is available soon from Battle Cry Records, Mighty Monster Records, and Decibel Geek.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SyNSkFfOME[/embedyt]