MENCHEN (feat. Robert Sweet) – The White Metal Album (2018)

“The White Metal Album” is the new CD from Las Vegas based MENCHEN, the band commanded by experienced guitarist Bill Menchen (Titanic, Seventh Power, Final Axe, et all).
This brand new release for 2018 features Martin Andrew up front and center on vocals, Bill Menchen on all stringed instruments, and last but not least the one and only Robert Sweet of Stryper fame handling all the drums.

If fact, all the songs on “The White Metal Album” were composed between the ’80s and ’90s, and as you see in the album title and Robert Sweet’s presence, this is Christian band with, of course, a Stryper flavor.
However, lyrics are not completely religious centered, and musically Menchen has many other influences than Stryper.

“The White Metal Album” can best be described as an album for those into a guitar driven sound of the late ’80s, mixing bluesy hard rock with a bit melodic US metal here and there.
Bill Menchen play all guitars and bass, adorning the full length of the album with his mega tight sounding riffs (check out his work on “Dead Men’s Bones” and “Sons Of Thunder”).

Singer David St. Andrew is another strong piece of Menchen’s sound, with an intense and gutsy vocal style that sounds like a combination of Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot) and Scott Wenzel (Whitecross). In a current hard rock / metal environment imbued with so many high pitched and classic tenor vocalists – not that that is a bad thing – it is a welcome relief to finally hear a singer add some good old fashioned backbone to his delivery.

And of course Robert Sweet does a great job handling the drums providing varied dynamics to the music, with his trademark fills and snare drum sound.
Among my favorites there’s “Shovel The Coal”, a driving hard rocker allowing the band to give full vent to its prodigious energy. The song kicks in to a snarling guitar riff before storming through its verse portions, breaking out in prevailing fashion for a catchy chorus highlighted by a trace of vocal harmonies. Menchen adds to the scene with a stretch fluid lead guitar work. Great song.
“Dead Men’s Bones” is a quite powerful piece, with an avalanche of mega-tight riffs sustaining it from front to back.

“Captain Of The Ship” immediately opens to a driving guitar riff before tapering off to a quietly played guitar line for its first verse. Flowing ahead in a tranquil manner, the song kicks into high gear as the rhythm guitar returns and urges things to an anthemic chorus that comes across gripping in its capacity.
I might describe “Holy Ground” as one of the albums more laid back compositions. A plethora of driving impetus carries this one through its verse portions, the balanced setting upheld for a grave chorus in which a choppy rhythm guitar plays a prominent role. Several seconds of bluesy lead work complements the songs momentous feel.

“Sons Of Thunder” begins to a monstrous wall of rhythm guitar, decelerating upon obtaining its first verse only to pick back up in pace as a chorus of a straightforward but spirited variety is obtained. The tight drumming and varied riffage shoring this one up gives rise to a near mesmerizing feel.
“Wisdom” proves quite the rollicking number that grooves from start to finish, the up-tempo environment upheld as the band again puts forth quite the animated performance.

All in all, what Menchen delivers in “The White Metal Album” is an energetic blend of sharp hard rock that fans of Stryper, Quiet Riot, Whitecross, some ’80s Ozzy, etc, will be certain to get into.
In many ways is like a lost ’80s white metal’ album, with solid production values inspired in that era where the rhythm guitar delivers a mega-huge crunch, and the leads are cleanly mixed. Vocals are powerful but clean, while Sweet’s drums project a more than ample amount of punch and power.
Highly Recommended

01 – Captain of the Ship
02 – Dead Mens Bones
03 – Deep Down
04 – Holy Ground
05 – Shovel the Coal
06 – Sons of Thunder
07 – The Sea
08 – Upon the Cross
09 – Wind
10 – Wisdom

David St. Andrew – vocals
Bill Menchen – guitar, bass
Robert Sweet – drums

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