Brainstorm - Liquid Monster


Year of Release: 2005
Label: Metal Blade
Catalog Number: 3984-14526-2
Format: CD
Total Time: 51:21:00

Andy Franck is one of the elite vocalists in metal. Brainstorm has proven itself with live performances and their previous albums to be one of the premier metal bands in the world. Their recently released new album, Liquid Monster, the follow up to the acclaimed Soul Temptation, shows no signs of that creative and musical direction, and is a definite step backwards, or at least sideways.

Brainstorm has been a large part of the German metal community for a long time and is known for combining thrashy riffs with soaring and melodic vocals. This album is no exception to that normally lethal combination; however, Liquid Monster drowns in it's own hype. If there were no Soul Temptation to try and top, this would be held in higher regard. That being said, we've heard all of these songs before on their previous two albums, and quite frankly, they seem like leftovers.

The first song, "Worlds Are Coming Through," the emotional and varied "All Those Words" and the oddly arranged ballad "Heavenly" are the only tracks to stand out. The rest are rehashed, retreads of former song ideas they may have had lying around the studio and are not up to par with what the band is capable of playing. I think a great deal of this has to fall on Andy's shoulders. While I think he's an incredible singer and songwriter, he may be suffering from burnout. He's fronting two bands on the Metal Blade label that are not too dissimilar. There used to be a distinction between Symphorce and Brainstorm, but that line has been blurred as of recent. He may be running out of ideas and he may need a vacation.

Everything is in place for a successful if not great album. Being on Metal Blade has it's advantages as the production values will always be stellar. The artwork, though extremely cheesy, fits the source material and has grown on me. The individual musicians are spot on in every songs and Andy sings his heart out. It's just a case of the songs not being there.

As a musician and a band, you simply cannot hit a home run every time up to bat. While the band certainly misfired with Liquid Monster, it does not diminish their reputation or legacy in the least. It's a capable disc at best and is not worthy of damaging their credibility. When you get to the level of Brainstorm, good does not cut it. You have to come out strong and you have to come out swinging. This album is a half-hearted attempt to cash in on their banner 2004. There will be many good albums from these guys in the future, however this will not be considered among them.


Tracklisting:
Worlds Are Coming Through / Inside The Monster / All Those Words / Lifeline / Invisible Enemy / Heavenly / Painside / Despair To Drown / Mask Of Life / Even Higher / Burns My Soul

Musicians:
Andy B Franck - vocals
Torsten Ihlenfeld - guitar
Milan Loncaric - guitar
Andreas Mailander - bass
Deiter Bernert - drums

Discography:
Hungry (1997/2007)
Unholy (1998/2007)
Ambiguity (2000)
Metus Mortis (2001)
Soul Temptation (2003)
Liquid Monster (2005)
Downburst (2008)

Honey From The Bs (DVD) (2007)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin DE

Added: May 16th 2005
Reviewer: Scott Pierce
Score:
Artist website: www.brainstorm-web.net
Hits: 2085
Language: english

  

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