THE FERRYMEN – The Ferrymen [Japan Edition +1]

THE FERRYMEN, the new project featuring guitarist Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear), vocalist Ronnie Romero (Lords Of Black, Rainbow) and drummer Mike Terrana (Tarja, Axel Rudi Pell, Vision Divine) will release its self-titled debut album on June 2 via Frontiers Music Srl.
The album just appeared in Asia, with the Japanese Edition including an exclusive bonus track.

The songs for “The Ferrymen” were written by Karlsson in Sweden during the Summer of 2016. Once Romero was sent the music via their main bands’ shared label home Frontiers, he immediately wanted to be part of the project. Terrana was the last piece of the puzzle and he recorded his drums in Italy, where he currently resides.

The resulting album is a shot of adrenaline for all lovers of melodic metal spiced with edgy hard rock groove.
Musically, you can expect maximum melodic stuff fusing the songwriting and epic structures of the great Allen / Lande records (for which Magnus Karlsson was the main architect of the first three widely praised releases) with the Ronnie James Dio-esque vocal approach of Romero.
Romero was hand-picked by legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to be the lead vocalist for Raibow’s recent reunion shows and new album in the making, so the Dio comparison is more than accurate.

When listening to the album I was drawn in by Romero’s vocals. His voice indeed has hints of Dio but on the more melodious parts he sounds more like a young Robin McCauley.
However, make no mistake, “The Ferrymen” it’s Karlsson’s beast. His guitar work is the driving force of the album, embellished with classy keyboard runs and his classic, yet modern, approach to songwriting.

The album kicks off with ‘End Of The Road,’ a fast-paced, classic melodic metal track with strong punchy riffs and vocals. The second track on the album, ‘Ferryman,’ has an anthemic, stadium rock feel that crowds all over the globe will go wild for.
Then the softer ‘One Heart’ makes a nice change in dynamic to the album, and gives a fresh feel to the sound.

One of the highlights for me is ‘The Darkest Hour,’ which opens with a clock-like ticking and breaks out into a fantastic drum section ready for Romero’s vocals to take over.
A beautiful keyboard introduction opens ‘Eternal Night,’ making for another of the standout tracks on the album, as it has a wonderful melodic and nostalgic feel which will undoubtedly remind you of listening to old Classic Rock albums from the good old days.

The beautiful artwork for the album, which has a magical feel, perfectly suits the melodic style created on the record.
“The Ferrymen” is pure classic melodic metal / hard, and right up the street of any fan of the genre. There is no doubting the sheer talent of these three guys, with a stunning execution of each instrument performed plus a vibrant production.
HIGHLY Recommended

Ｗａｒｄ  Ｒｅｃｏｒｄｓ ～ 【GQCS-90343】
F Ｅ Ｒ Ｒ Ｙ Ｍ Ｅ Ｎ  /   ザ・フェリーメン

01. End Of The Road
02. Ferryman
03. Fool You All
04. Still Standing Up
05. Cry Wolf
06. One Heart
07. Darkest Hour
08. How The Story Ends
09. Enter Your Dream
10. Eyes On The Sky
11. Eternal Night
12. Welcome To My Show
JAPAN BONUS TRACK:
13. One Heart (Acoustic Version)

Ronnie Romero – Vocals (Lords Of Black, Rainbow)
Magnus Karlsson – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards (Primal Fear)
Mike Terrana – Drums (Tarja, Axel Rudi Pell, Vision Divine)

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/GQCS-90343
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