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Rawhead Rexx - Diary In Black


*
=Staff's pick

Dark Ages (Prelude)
Return of the Dragon*
Diary in Black*
Brothers in Arms
Barons Overthrow
The Machine
What If
Evil in Man*
Dragonheart*
Metal War*
Saint and Sinnery (Bonus)
Six Feet from the Edge


Genre Power Metal
Juergen Volk
Vocals
Tracks 12
Juergen Volk
Guitar
Runningtime 49 Min.
Rudy Fleck
Guitar
Label AFM Records
Foce
Bass
Release 17 March 2003
Dany Loeble
Drums
Country Germany
-
Keyboards
Similar artists Brainstorm, Primal Fear, Accept

What the hell is going on? Is as good as every new release nowadays a bombastic killer? Considering the constantly growing metal business and the following competition one shouldn't be surprised really and I'm not complaining at all of course, but some time, just some time, a band (or two...) must fail. But that doesn't seem possible at all and Rawhead Rexx is yet another band that definitely proves this fact.

With Diary in Black the band has done a tremendous studio recording and this is really thunderous and powerful German power / heavy metal in its absolute finest hours. This is absolutely no happy metal stuff but instead very aggressive and intense and the band they resemble the most is perhaps Brainstorm. They have the same type of foundation as that band but instead the guitars are more melodic and even "irascible", the vocals are a bit more high toned and the vocalist at times reminds a little of Andi Deris of Helloween. The choruses and verses are also a bit more varied and more catchy than those of Brainstorm and in that case Primal Fear comes closer in comparising and also Accept in the sense of pace.

Throughout the album there's a great mixture of amazing up-tempo tracks with serious double keg hammering and swirling guitar solos and more grinding mid-tempo songs. I must say I'm immensly impressed by this band after only a couple of listening sessions. The incredible force of the album, the pace of the songs and also the melodies of the refrains are as German metal as it possibly can get.

The album is also mixed and mastered by Charlie Bauerfeind in Andi Deris Mi Sueno Studios where he also recently was in charge of Helloweens Rabbit Don't Come Easy and he hasn't failed with this one either. The sound is heavy, grinding and very powerful and it simply screams metal from the very beginning to the final quivering moment.

Rawhead Rexxs' Diary in Black is almost the very definition of the expression "by or die" for fans of the above mentioned bands and should absolutely address as good as any metalhead out in the world too. So, if you feel you fit this description and want to take a break from the more common happy stuff, Rawhead Rexx is a formidable alternative and a very strong candidate to a band that will totally make you wear out the repeat button!

Production
Vocals
Compositions

9

8,5

9

 
Summary



9 chalices of 10 - Mat

Related links:

www.rawheadrexx.de