CD Review: Brainstorm – Downburst
February 29th, 2008 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin 
CD Review – Brainstorm
Downburst
Metal Blade Records
German metal-heads Brainstorm have just released their seventh full-length album ‘Downburst’ and there’s no denying that it’s pretty damn enjoyable. ‘Downburst’ showcases a band at the top of their game – these guys have played together a long time, crafted a unique sound and simply know what they’re doing.
Brainstorm play power metal with elements of thrash that reminds me a lot at times of early Metallica, right down to frontman Andy Franck’s vocals. But the mid-tempo rhythms and addition of keyboards, along with Franck’s unique vocal stylings and impressive guitar-work, remove the band from direct comparisons.
The songs on this album are generally dark, detailing personal struggles and invoking a fair amount of religious imagery, while not being overtly Christian or even necessarily religious at all. While the subject matter may be dark, this is not an especially heavy album, but Brainstorm retain enough of an edge to keep them firmly in the metal camp.
I didn’t expect to like this album, mainly because the band’s name reminds me of crappy video-games and the cover art conjures up expectations of similar cheese. If you can get past being a moron who likes to make snap judgments then what’s inside is very listenable.
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