Predator - Predator

*=Staff's pick	Predator* Addicted To Pain Hollow Words Buried Alive* Coming Home* Dream's Assassin Escape From Nowhere Outlaw* Waiting Forever Night Of The Witches

Genre	Heavy Metal	Marko Osterholz	Vocals
Tracks	10	Niels Löffler	Guitar
Runningtime	46 Min.	Daniel Hinz	Guitar
Label	Remedy Records	Max Schmieding	Bass
Release	26 May 2004	Sebastian Hinz	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Primal Fear, Iron Savior, Metalium

Watch out Primal Fear, here comes the competition.
The debut from German band Predator takes on the hunt with their fast and melodic metal. The band was formed in 2002 and contains members from the power metallers Stormblade and from the thrashcore band Mindless Crime.

It is done with a great enthusiasm and they have managed to create some really strong songs to accompany their fast metal. Predator combine power metal melodies with fast driving guitars and heavy riffing just like bands such as Primal Fear, Iron Savior and Metallium but they never reaches up to quite the same heights. Coming Home comes off as one of the better tracks with a great deal of speed and a simple chorus that is almost as the old Anthrax song Gung-Ho, and that track shows that they are capable of fast songs with great melodies as well. Also good work on the harmony parts with the guitars that reminds of old Heavens Gate and that kind of fast power metal, Predator combines fast heavy metal and power metal melodies in a good way.

There is a lack within the vocals, Marko Osterholz has problems with keeping the voice together trying to reach the higher notes, and sadly it also tends to sound false with other parts as well, there is no real power in his voice that is needed for this kind of music. Predator is doing a really good attempt and in some regards it works work on their debut but they are playing in one division below the likes of Primal Fear.

Even though they are trying hard to sound as Iron Savior at times with the vocal lines and harmonies, Piet Sielck's genius is hard to duplicate. And after a while the charming metal becomes too much, although the songs are strong you get what all there is to get already with the first listening and then they don't really seem as good anymore.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
7	4	7

Summary
6 chalices of 10 - Thomas