FRENZY "Blind Justice"

FRENZY

"Blind Justice"

There's something true and honest about Frenzy's heavy metal that really gets through to me. Traditional heavy metal is quite an active (i.e., trendy) genre these days, with each week bringing new bands trying to recreate the feel of the 80's. This Spanish band really hits the spot if you're into meat and potatoes metal. It doesn't sound like they bent over backwards to clone the sound and style of early 80's metal like Ice War and Traveler have...it just comes naturally to them.  They are drawing inspiration from more than just the standard NWOBHM bands...there are also influences here from the German metal bands of the 80's as well as some of the more tasteful thrash acts like Megadeth and Testament. There's even a pretty fair amount of anthemic hair metal here, although never to the point of sappiness.

This band just plugs in and starts jamming pure heavy metal. The title track is inspired by the sightless superhero Daredevil and indeed, the lyrical inspiration for Frenzy seems mainly to come from comic books. There are songs here about the X-Men, the Joker, the Silver Surfer and more. That title track is a cool mix of NWOBHM and German metal, with the excellent vocals of Anthony Stephen ringing out hard and clear. He's an exceptional vocalist that really understands the true metal style. So do the band's two dueling guitarists who let rip with killer solos throughout the album. On the last track "Shred Or Die", the chains come off and they engage in an orgy of classic metal axework.

Standout tracks here would include the chugging "Killing With A Smile" (about The Joker, naturally), the highly melodic yet still crunchy "Save Me" and "Waiting For Your Call", which reminds me of classic Dokken. I can't say any of the songs are overwhelming classics, yet put together as a whole "Blind Justice" is a highly enjoyable heavy metal album with good vocals and sharp playing. Add extra points if you're into comics!

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FRENZY