Album Review: Stormhammer “Echoes of a Lost Paradise”

You win some, you loose some. I am sure you can guess how this review is about to go. After winning by listening to Praying Mantis’ latest (Album Review: Praying Mantis-Legacy) I decided to try another band I have never heard of; Stormhammer. While I have not missed them for nearly as long, Stormhammer have been hammering it out (I could not resist) since the early 90’s. Hailing from Germany, a synopsis of their sound is, and forgive me if their back catalogue is not similar I have decided to forego exploratory surgery, power metal with symphonic classical sounds mixed in. Very popular a la Nightwish, these guys are not on par and a tough comparison considering the difference of female/male vocals make a major difference to me. The power metal portions are similar to Testament and such and while I very much like raw thrash it needs to be melded with melody & groove, or pure thrash such as D.R.I. / Kreator / Exodus for my liking. I can keep naming other bands I enjoy listening to, it simply comes down to this record never made my ears smile. Make sense? Let me explain, similar to the neck bone being connected to the whatever bone it is connected to I find my ear cartilage (not bone, pretty “smrt” eh?) somehow connected to the 17 muscles it takes me to smile. This is the long winded way of me telling you: I didn’t smile listening to Echoes of a Lost Paradise.

So while I have a hard time dissing something created, and I won’t, I am sadly saying it isn’t for me. No doubt the musicianship is good and tight to play this music and if you lean more towards power/thrash metal you will likely smile on this, their 5th release.

BUY: Stormhammer-Echoes of a Lost Paradise