Artist: Symphorce
Title: Unrestricted
Genre: Power Metal
Release Date: 15th October 2010
Label: AFM Records
Album Review
SYMPHORCE is one of those bands that once they start out they hit the ground running and just keep producing album after album. Ever since their debut, ‘Truth To Promises,’ they’ve steadily been progressing and changing their sound, trying to get the best dynamics out of their work while still retaining a very heavy power metal style. With their latest album, ‘Unrestricted,’ SYMPHORCE deliver their heaviest and also most modern album to date. It’s melodic, crushing, and also mixed with sprinkles of industrial influences and classical piano to round out the sound. Some would even say they’re crossing into gothic metal territory compared to their usual soaring power metal work.
There are tracks such as ‘Sorrow In Our Hearts’ and ‘The Mindless’ which are purely guitar driven with thick, chugging riffs mixed by melodic solos. The drums are generally lost in the mix, but when they are heard, they offer a steady rhythm that complements the music well. Vocally, the band still has that NEVERMORE or SENTENCED balance of grit and smooth that keeps the band from sounding like a lot of generic power metal out there. Overall there’s a feel that SYMPHORCE is going for a more hard rock feel than the crushing power of metal that their former albums have featured, but it’s not a bad thing at all. It may seem more ‘radio friendly,’ but at least it’s not the same musical structure over and over. ‘The Eternal’ is the one piano driven song that is just beautiful, but also isn’t cheesy due to the mix of guitar involved. Many of the tracks on the album feature a lot of electronic bleeps and beats, such as ‘The Waking Hour’ and ‘Visions’. The music is far from every becoming industrial rock or metal, but these varied moments add a nice modern touch to the music and further show SYMPHORCE’S evermore branching musical interests.
If it was not for the modern variations of this album, then ‘Unrestricted’ would be just another standard power metal album with some progressive elements. While SYMPHORCE don’t do anything revolutionary here, they should still generate enough interest from fans with the direction they’re going. Some may hate them because they’re falling into a more modern zone and could possibly get stuck in a cycle of ‘selling out.’ Others may applaud them for their willingness to experiment and add more elements to their sound, no matter how trendy or unfitting it is. But, one this is for sure: SYMPHORCE aren’t letting their new album restrict them to any boundaries as they give everything they got to the fans who have followed them for so long.
Tracklist
01. The Eternal (4:08)
02. Until It’s Over (3:46)
03. Sorrow In Our Hearts (3:30)
04. Whatever Hurts (4:41)
05. The Waking Hour (3:30)
06. Visions (4:35)
07. The Last Decision (3:24)
08. The Mindless (5:55)
09. Worlds Seem To Collide (3:44)
10. Do You Ever Wonder (4:21)
Line-up
Andy B. Franck – vocals
Cedric “Cede” Dupont – guitars
Markus Pohl – guitars
Dennis Wohlbold – bass
Steffen Theurer – drums
Website
http://www.myspace.com/symphorcepower
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 8
Total: 7.5 / 10
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