WINTERLONG – Metal/Technology

It seems as days go past, more and more one-man-driven bands get into the spotlight. Nightwish, Iron Maiden, Edguy, and Therion, just to name a few, are bands that may have lost all of their members, but still stand because the main element remains the same. This is the case for Thorbjorn Englund and Winterlong. After undergoing a full band change from his first and second releases, Thorbjorn settled with a new band.

Winterlong is back, but not without change. Following 3 releases in the Neo-Classical/Melodic Metal arena, band-leader Thorbjorn Englund decided it was time for a heavier effort. The shredder’s fans won’t be let down with Metal Technology, as it still features several good Neo-classical inspired leads, but everything else is pretty fresh.

Fans of Nightwish will think Winterlong has gone the same route as that band in “Once.” The guitars are definitely heavier than in previous works. Also elements of Electronica are here, and they spice up the album’s flirt with Metal and Technology.

Most of the vocal work lies on Heavy Metal foundations, such as Judas Priest and Accept. There’s also gutsy, bold singing ala Danzig with more balls. Guest appearances include a female vocalist with Tarja Turunen like on the vocal lines for “Like Ships in The Night.”

The keyboard work in Metal-Technology is very on the Technology side of the scale, with elements of Electronica spread around, together with good-old Metal keys.

The overall heavier feel of Metal-Technology is sometimes broken by nicely inspired Power Metal moments that remind of the band’s Neo-Classical roots such as in “Cleaning the Machine.” Ballads here and there also provide a small, but welcome, degree of variety in the overall sonic landscape of the album.

The lyric content is below standard for the whole album, with unimaginative themes and Metal cliches in the best Manowar style. It gets to the point of having rhymes like “… Time Will Tell / You’ll Go To Hell …” in “Badlands.”

Overall, Metal-Technology is a great album that will particularly please Judas Priest fans that enjoy their Ripper releases. Influences of Nu Metal, Neo-Classical Metal, and Power Metal are combined into one nice piece of work that is unlikely to displease most Metalheads.