Grendel - See the light 3/5
Reviewed: 8-22-08
Tracklist:
1. See the light
2. The path and the kid
3. Son of the rising sun
4. Keepers
5. Grendel
6. Angre
7. Nightmare
8. The last shelter
9. Mr. "Roosters"
10. Free to the end
11. Back to back
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Grendel is a new melodic power metal band and 'See the light' is their full-length debut. They're from Spain, but this is not a Spanish-language CD. Actually, they don't remind me of any other band from Spain, and are instead comparable to Helloween, Gamma Ray, a slightly less polished Heavenly and Force Majeure, and there are times when Hammerfall and Dungeon come to mind. So Grendel sits right in the center of power metal, and although we've all heard this style many times before, it's still enjoyable if the quality is up to par.
Vocally, Jon (with no last name given) is your typical power metal vocalist and is most comparable to the vocalists from Helloween, Gamma Ray and Heavenly. Jon does a nice job and his voice is clear (with a noticable accent), but he's not quite up to the level of the vocalists from these other bands. He does a solid job, for sure, but I'm pretty sure power metal fans won't be blown away by his performance. I think he fits the music very well though, and the band as a whole is quite cohesive. Musically, overall, the CD is fairly fast and regarding tempo, is what you'd expect from a power metal band that sits right in the center of the genre.
'See the light' can easily be described as a solid yet unspectacular CD. There are many decent to good songs, and there are a few highlights as well. My favorite song is probably track 3 "Son of the rising sun", as it has a catchy rhythm and a terrific guitar solo. Track 6 "Angre" is a strong instrumental and track 8 "The last shelter" contains great guitar work, which are some of the other songs that I'd call highlights. The closer "Back to back" is a Pretty Maids cover, which was also covered by Hammerfall on their CD 'Legacy of kings'. While Hammerfall's version is superior, Grendel does a nice job with it and it's a good song to end the CD with.
So what we have with 'See the light' is a solid CD from a fairly promising new band. However, if you've grown tired of power metal in the style of the aforementioned bands and are seeking originality, this is not recommended. Those who are still die-hard fans of generic power metal should check this out though, as it's competitive enough to be considered a good start for the band.
CLINT
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