PERZONAL WAR – When Times Turn Red

This four-piece act from Siegburg in Germany have played together since 1996 and this is their fourth album. Having been compared to Metallica through their three earlier releases, The Inside, Newtimechaos and Different But The Same, the band finally feels that they have found their own sound and identity. So be it, they might have added a little touch of Pantera, In Flames, and even System of a Down, but that Metallica sound is still there. But who cares, all of these bands have tons of fans and Perzonal War is a band that can stand on their own feet even if they are influenced by Metallica. Most bands today are clearly influenced by others anyway, so as long as the musicians are good enough and the hit potentials are there, it’s all good.

Perzonal War have shown with When Times Turn Red both that they are good enough musically and that their tunes have hit potential. The album starts off with full versions for radio stations and clubs of the songs “For The Last Time” and “5 More Days.” Both are really good tunes with lots of hit potential. Matthias “Metti” Zimmer’s voice on “For The Last Time” is just incredible; not only can he reach the heights of James Hetfield (Metallica), but he also has that typical 80s shivering that makes all girls weak in their knees.

The title track “When Times Turn Red” starts out a bit weak, with an Indian-inspired opening, but then as the chorus starts, it picks up. Like a typical System of a Down tune, you never really know which direction this song is about to take. A bit difficult to get a grip on, it needs a few spins before you get the hang of it. Actually, that can be said for most of the album. Even if some of the choruses hit straight home right away, most of the CD can be difficult to grasp and sounds somewhat pretentious at first.

The first song to really aim straight at your heart and stomach is “The Unbeliever,” a title that could be Metallica’s, but a song fully owned by Perzonal War. It starts off with a bit of piano, laid back guitar riffs, and a wicked bass … then singer “Metti” surprises by almost having a bit of an Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) sound to his voice. Even if guitar player Sascha Kerschgens didn’t seem like the attention craver in the “For The Last Time” video, that also comes with this CD, he sure gets attention on this song. He sounds like two or three guitar players dancing back and forth with their guitars like the players from Iron Maiden sometimes do on stage. Enjoyable to the bone!!

“Frozen Image” also has a really catchy chorus. The vocals sound scarily like Hetfield, and drummer Martin Buchwalter could have been replaced by head-hitting Lars Ulrich, but the rest of the song is atypical Metallica and one of Perzonal War’s best.

It’s hard to figure out what happens on the song “Hope Dies Last.” This is surely the most wonderful and sorrowful tune on the album, but have they forgot to turn up the music behind the vocals, or did they think this sounds cool? With the squeaky sound of guitars from different background rooms, lonely vocals, and something sounding like rain beneath that makes this a very confusing song. After 5 minutes of this, they finally burst out and finish the song in the “normal” way. Hopefully they will release another version of this song on their next album, or they will forever have left their fans somewhat unsatisfied.

“Inferno” and “My Conspiracy” are the two weakest songs on the album. They sound like some of the weaker releases that Metallica have poured out in recent years. So this actually helps conclude that Perzonal War’s best stuff happens when their own particular sound comes out.