Album review – Brainstorm

Album review by Vince Naccarato
Brainstorm, “On the Spur of the Moment”

The final months of 2011 proved to be a great time for metal fans. Bands such as Iced Earth, Megadeth, and Anthrax released strong albums that generated a great amount of excitement. Unfortunately, in situations like this, an excellent album can get overlooked and that is what has happened to Brainstorm’s latest release, On the Spur of the Moment.

Brainstorm has released some of the best power metal albums over the last decade. However, 2009’s Memorial Roots seemed to slow down the band’s momentum and the band has come back with a vengeance. Brainstorm is offering up a new disc that is sure to please anyone who is a fan of power metal.

The lead track, Below the Line, is a mid-paced rocker featuring heavy guitars and pleasing melodies. With the next two tracks, In the Blink of an Eye and Temple of Stone, the tempo picks up as the band kicks into overdrive. Both songs are extremely heavy and are very energetic. I can easily see both of these songs being crowd favorites in a live setting.

The first single from the album, In These Walls, is a very dynamic song and one of the highlights of the album. It combines a beautiful piano riff with heavy guitars to allow the song to build momentum. This song may also contain vocalist Andy B. Franck’s best performance on the album. On this track his mournful vocals come alive and allow the listener to feel his despair.

Songs such as Still Insane, Dark Life and No Saint-No Sinner are hard rocking tunes that hold true to the Brainstorm sound. In fact, they could fit in just as well on any of the band’s other popular albums such as Metus Mortis and Soul Temptation. As the disc starts to come to an end, the band picks up the pace for Where Your Actions Lead You to Live and A Life On Hold before slowing things down a bit for the final song, My Own Hell.

Brainstorm’s unique sound has garnered a very loyal fan base and it is good to have them return to the heavy sound their fans desire. Every track from On the Spur of the Moment is great heavy metal that fans can sink their teeth into. Guitarists Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric provide the foundation for the Brainstorm sound with creative riffing and expressive solos. The duo delivers one of their best performances to date and even evoke memories of Judas Priest’s Glen Titpton and K.K. Downing.

It is time that Brainstorm is recognized as one of the best power metal bands around. This album is overflowing with great metal and is definitely one of the top 5 metal albums for 2011. If you are a fan of bands such as Iced Earth, Dream Evil, or Blind Guardian, you need this album. You won’t be disappointed.