Shakra - Powerplay

Published January 07 2013

*=Staff's pick	Life Is Now* The Mask* Higher Wonderful Life Dear Enemy Save You From Yourself Don't Keep Me Hanging* Dream Of Mankind Stevie Because Of You* Secret Hideaway Too Good To Be True

Genre	Hard Rock	John Prakesh	Vocals
Tracks	12	Thom Blunier	Guitar
Running time	48 Min.	Thomas Muster	Guitar
Label	AFM Records	Dominik Pfister	Bass
Release	11 January 2013	Roger Tanner	Drums
Country	Switzerland	-	Keyboard
Producer	Thom Blunier
Similar artists	Gotthard

Ninth album, and second with Prakesh on vocals, from Swiss hard rockers Shakra. I can't say it's much different from what I've heard from Shakra in the past. Melodic and catchy hard rock with cool riffs almost all through. Awesome tracks are mixed with good ones and of course there are also a pair of ballads.

Life Is Now is an exploding start and a stunning piece of work and track number two, The Mask, has a chorus that sticks like a tattoo. I tend to like their up-tempo songs even more than their mid-tempo ones. Don't Keep Me Hanging belongs to that speedier category and I find myself wandering around my house shouting the lyrics.

Wonderful Life is a ballad that don't get my emotions rolling. Too much of a lullaby for me and I dig the second ballad, Too Good To Be True, better. It has more of that climax in it, while the first mentioned feels more like stuck in first gear. None of them will however find a solid place in my backbone. This is nothing uncommon when it comes to me versus ballads. I more look for power and force in the songs than for crying.

When I first listened to Powerplay, which by the way is a title way too similar to their 2001 release Power Ride, I sensed many fillers present. After immense listening during the holidays, I must say my initial thoughts were totally out of sense. Most songs are killer and this release will spin daily in my home for a while. Song after song proves that judging an album after listening to it only once can be a fatal mistake. A very good album indeed and 8 chalices are handed out.

See also review of: Everest , Power Ride

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	5	7	8	8

Summary
8 chalices of 10 - Tobbe