HOLY MOSES – Strength Power Will Passion

The manic shredder “Angel Cry” kicks off this most recent display of Strength Power Will Passion from German Thrash stalwarts Holy Moses. The band is driven by the anything but ethereal growl of frontwoman Sabina Classen, who proves that she doesn’t need testosterone to roar like a lion.

“End of Time” is an equally supersonic race against the clock, with some superb serpentine guitar leads from Michael Hankel. “Symbol of the Spirit” slows down the tempo only slightly; still keeping up a hair-whipping groove. The sinister guitars slither back again on “Examination,” a song whose leads would certainly win a nod of approval from King Kerry.

Then the guys get into the action vocally, shouting the chorus “I Will,” but it is Sabina’s savage, yet a bit sultry, snarling on “Space Clearing,” along with haunting guitar fills and the bleak sound of cold rushing winds, that make it among the set’s premier songs.

“Sacred Crystals” shifts the band back into overdrive, and the Metal marathon speeds on through “Lost Inside.” Going into fast rewind, “Death Bells II” has a old school, lo-fi production quality that makes it sound like it might have been done in the band’s early days. In contrast, “Rebirthing” has more of a Modern Metal feel, with loads of Franky Brotz’s crunchy, distorted rhythm guitar.

“Seasons in the Twilight” is a hard-charging rager that finally shows off the true talents of drummer Julian Schmidt, who backs the band throughout the record with his steady, yet stylish skin slamming.

While all this is well and very, very good, the 24:36 “Say Goodbye” is not for those who hate lengthy farewells. After the first four and a half minutes, the track falls completely silent for a patience-trying 15 minutes, but patience is a virtue, and those who wait it out will be rewarded with a brief barrage of brutal Thrash sung in German. Otherwise, it is a fine set of powerhouse, no-nonsense, Thrash Metal.