BEAST IN BLACK – Berserker (2017)

New Finnish band BEAST IN BLACK are ready to release their debut album “Berserker“, due out this November 3 on Nuclear Blast records. The group is the brainchild of former Battle Beast guitarist Anton Kabanen who left the band in 2015 under some hazy circumstances.
Without missing a beat, Kabanen had recruited a line up for his new project, Beast In Black, which name sounds dangerously similar to his former band…

The composition stages of “Berserker” was influenced by a Japanese manga and anime called Beserk. First track, titled as the band’s name ‘Beast In Black’, it’s some kind of ‘presentation’ for Kabanen & Co. The song comes out hard and fast with singer Yannis Papadopoulos shrieking a shouting ‘Berserkerrrrrr!’ within the first 15 seconds.
Papadopoulos is equipped with a fantastic voice, and the combination of his very high range, drummer Sami Hanninen’s powerful pulse and some very noticeable keys, makes for a strong start. The chorus is catchy and has a sing-a-long feel to it that one would expect from Kabanen’s previous work.

I have to mention something before continue.
Thirty years ago an album cover like the one in “Berserker” would have been proper for a heavy metal album, even some extreme thrash metal and scared some moms. But we are in 2017, and things are different.
Beast In Black’s debut is not power metal, not even traditional heavy or melodic metal.

“Berserker” is an absolutely commercial sounding album, plenty of keys / syths, huge catchy choruses, and if you want, cheesy lyrics, but in a good way. Just listen track 2 (video below) ‘Blind and Frozen’ and you can hear that.
The intro is like a time jump back to the ’80s and it does not tone down for the duration of the song. The keyboard assault continues throughout ‘Blind and Frozen’, enhancing its commerciality and easy listening.
The same can be said for the rest of the album, so don’t be scared: despite its cover, this is a very melodic album.

‘Blood Of A Lion’ is almost melodic rock in the verses, the chorus is bombastic with layers of backing vocals, and there’s some excellent guitar work from Kabanen and the other guitarist, Kasperi Heikkinen (U.D.O.). This is a killer track, and one of the best from the album.
The punchy midtempo of ‘Born Again’ bring to mind the last works from Erik Mårtensson’s Eclipse, and yeah, believe it or not it has some AOR touches as well.

‘Zodd the Immortal’ showcases a different sound to the rest of the record, with a power metal pinch, but extremely polished. In fact, results some kind of Axel Rudi Pell on steroids. Papadopoulos flips between rough and falsetto effortlessly and sounds a little bit out of control in some parts which I like. There’s a wild, untamed element to this track, in the drums, guitars and outrageous vocals.
Then ‘Crazy, Mad, Insane’ is pure pop, almost danceable, ‘Hell for All Eternity’ has some wonderful guitar / keyboards interplay and a melodic approach akin Allen / Lande, and ‘Eternal Fire’ an Evergrey commercialism.

What do you expect from a track titled ‘Go to Hell’? Some metal right? Not in the hands of Beast In Black. This is a modern hard rocker with tons of solos, anthemic choruses, a mix of H.E.A.T and Accept… yeah, you read well.
For the end the band delivers a sweet ballad in ‘Ghost In The Rain’, a very good calm song and a showcase for Papadopoulos awesome pristine vocals

So this is it folks: don’t judge an album by its cover.
Beast In Black’s “Berserker” is highly melodic, commercial, cheesy at places, full of keys, soaring vocals and huge choruses. It’s a strong, well balanced record, benefited by the polished production.
Who would think back in the ’80s that an album sporting this cover artwork would pack this music inside? None.
Welcome to 2017, where genres melt down, and in the case of Beast In Black’s debut results into a punchy melodic record.
Highly Recommended

01. Beast In Black
02. Blind And Frozen
03. Blood Of A Lion
04. Born Again
05. Zodd The Immortal
06. The Fifth Angel
07. Crazy, Mad, Insane
08. Hell For All Eternity
09. Eternal Fire
10. Go To Hell
11. End Of The World
12. Ghost In The Rain

Anton Kabanen (ex-BATTLE BEAST) – Guitar, Vocals
Yannis Papadopoulos (WARDRUM) – Lead Vocals
Kasperi Heikkinen (U.D.O.) – Guitar
Máté Molnar (WISDOM) – Bass
Sami Hänninen (BRYMIR) – Drums

PRE ORDER:
www.amazon.de/Berserker-Beast-Black/dp/B075GBDLPR
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