Artist: Alpha Tiger
Title: Beneath The Surface
Genre: Heavy/ Speed Metal
Release Date: 25th January 2013
Label: Century Media Records
Album Review
ALPHA TIGER is a young German Heavy Metal band, who released their debut album ‘Man Or Machine’ in 2011 and now, hardly two years later, have the successor ‘Beneath The Surface’ ready to present their own interpretation of classical Heavy/ Speed Metal which is strongly 80s influenced. With an acoustic and calm intro, ‘Beneath The Surface’ starts off in a very traditional way. ‘The Alliance’ kicks in as a traditional Heavy Metal song with 80-like riffs, group chants in the chorus and clear-sung vocals. ‘From Outer Space’ shows clear influences from Speed Metal – the vocals are high-pitched and dominant, the song structures are variable yet very accessible. Catchy melodies and remarkable riffs are included; guitar solos are obligatory and underline the band’s technical abilities.
‘Waiting For A Sign’ is a beautiful rock ballad, the calmer moments add more depth to the album and yet, the instrumentation is powerful and suits the character of the song very well. In contrast, ‘Beneath The Surface’ incorporates some Thrash Metal elements in the beginning, but also includes some slower, relaxing moments in the second half of the song. Track number six, ‘Along The Rising Sun’ is situated in the mid-tempo sector, whereas the longest track of the album ‘Eden Lies In Ruins’ is again slower but not catchy. ‘Rain’ is atmospheric and emotionally dense, ending up in a fast and powerful way. ‘Crescent Moon’ provides a mixture of faster and slower parts whereas the last dance ‘We Came From The Gutter’ offers group chants and may function as a sort of band hymn.
In general, ‘Beneath The Surface’ is an ambitious and technically well-performed album. The vocals may not be everyone’s cup of tea and somehow, ALPHA TIGER lack innovation – yes, they sound almost as if coming directly from the 80s, but some more experiments would surely help in finding their own style.
Tracklist
01. Intro
02. The Alliance
03. From Outer Space
04. Waiting For A Sign
05. Beneath The Surface
06. Along The Rising Sun
07. Eden Lies in Ruins
08. Rain
09. Crescent Moon
10. We Came From The Gutter
Line-up
Stephan Dietrich – Vocals, Piano
Peter Langforth – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Alexander Backasch – Guitar
Dirk Frei – Bass
David Schleif – Drums
Website
www.alphatiger.de / www.facebook.com/AlphaTigerBand
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 7.5 / 10
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