STORMCROW -

STORMCROW - NO FEAR OF TOMORROW - EDGERUNNER   
Apparently the competition for monikers based on Lord Of The Rings is so challenging out there that bands now have resorted to duplicating names like Stormcrow, a name given to Gandalf. This particular Stormcrow hails from Sweden (a land to the north of Gondor) and is a real shame. With an original singer bristling with character, lively backing vocals, sharp rhythms and impressive solos it is a pity that the band douses its music with trendy and unnecessary keyboards. In fact, without the keys, the band would be a real contender for the affections of heavy metal and power metallers alike. Some of these songs have real legs and call for headbanging, air guitar, sing-along and appropriate for fans of everything from Helloween to Leatherwolf to Armored Saint and Dokken. The singer manages his higher pitches well and the leads stay in tune and impress with the ability to merely go through the motions. With such a smooth, fun and action-packed material why, oh why, would the band water itself down? No doubt, the victim of its environment and prevalent trends the youngsters probably do not remember a time when metal stood apart from commercial pop music. Is there a tool out there by which one can definitively eliminate the offending synthesizers from his audio system during playback? Otherwise, my fear for tomorrow is that bands and corporate media manage to diminish the demarcation between metal and pop music. - Ali “The Metallian”