Reviews: Labyrinth, Bonfire, The Ferrymen, Wildness (Matt Bladen & Simon Black)

Labyrinth - In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

In Italian power metal there are three names that stand out Rhapsody (every version), Vision Divine and Labyrinth, all three of these bands have shared members over the years and have stopped, started, split up and reformed. All three are still going in one form or another but perhaps are often overshadowed by what they did in the 90’s which for me was the golden age of this music. It’s a shame as Labyrinth especially have produced some of their best work recently. 

This version of Labyrinth came about in 2017 when founder members Andrea Cantarelli (guitar) and Olaf Thorsen (guitar) were asked by the label to discuss reforming with original vocalist Roberto Tiranti. So here we are three albums later and Labyrinth sound more vital than ever, with label assistance secured, they have turned noticeably heavier on this record.

The galloping, hook-laden power metal still remains, 100 mph drumming from Matt Peruzzi locked in with bassist Nik Mazzucconi while Oleg Smirnoff adds the classical touches with piano and a fat 80’s fist-in-the-air moment with Out Of Place. 

This is brief then we’re back to a power metal riot, Thorsen and Cantarelli’s guitars intertwined as Tiranti sounds better than ever, his voice bit more honeyed now with age meaning that they don’t always need to go full throttle, adding an alternative edge to The Healing. 

In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye on the whole though is experienced power metal from these Italian veterans, but with some new wrinkles. 8/10

Bonfire - Higher Ground (Frontiers Music Srl) [Simon Black]

I never quite know where I am going to go when I come to reviewing this band’s output. I only really started to listen to them when I got back into this reviewing lark a few years ago and have had the opportunity to assess their studio output from a late standing start, so I was happy to take this one on. 

One of the reasons for that positivity is the most recent studio offerings had included the considerable vocal talents of Alexx Stahl, who had in my humble opinion delivered the best performances since original lungsman Claus Lessmann left for the second time a decade ago. 

So, I was a bit concerned to discover that since 2022 he had moved on and been replaced by one Dyan Mair. But again, the re-recording package MMXXIII (which completely redid the classic trio of Don’t Touch The Light, Point Blank and Fireworks) showed that he was a more than capable pair of hands and lungs for the job, so again I’m keen to hear new material from this line-up.

And it does not disappoint.

It’s a harder rocking album than much of their recent new output, carrying the lavish production of the MMXXIII set through ten new tracks, plus a re-do of Rock ‘n’ Roll Survivor thrown in for good measure, with a bit more low-end welly throughout without losing the lighter melodic signature touches they are best known for. It works really well, because let’s face it this music always sounds heavier live, and it has that beefier low end feel throughout which is a great improvement. 

Lost All Control is a great example of this, owing more to thunderingly catchy Power Metal anthems than the more Melo-Metal fare they built their following on, and Come Hell Or High Water is almost Doom-like in its heaviness, with Mair’s vocals screaming in the kind of register you are more used to finding on a Ripper Owens recording - but whilst still retaining those key elements of their sound, so it’s a really strong step forwards.

Are Bonfire going to do anything really unexpected given the genre limitations? No, I really hope not; what I would like is for them to do is stretch the envelope a bit, and deliver it consistently well, and this latest opus has raised the bar for me. 8/10

The Ferrymen – Iron Will (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Ronnie Romero, Magnus Karlsson, Mike Terrana, of course it’s Frontiers and of course it’s The Ferrymen, the melodic metal project that is now on its fourth record. 

The previous three were all very good for any fans of melodic metal and classic heavy rock but then what would you expect from a band that features members of Primal Fear, Lords Of Black, Rainbow, Rage and Axel Rudi Pell, that’s a set of hall of fame careers in anyone book and The Ferrymen has always been able to combine all of these bands to make bombastic classic heavy metal. 

The cinematic Mother Unholy, where Romero shows off that gritty but oh so powerful vocal sound that draws comparisons to Ronnie James Dio. More so on the street metal feel of the title track or the thrusting Adrenaline where Terrana’s powerhouse percussion gives thumping pace. Karlsson displays why he’s not only a great guitar player (Darkest Storm) but a composer/songwriter and producer, a track such as Above It All alongside Dreams And Destiny carrying cinematic poise to it. 

Iron Will like the previous The Ferrymen albums is very high energy, there’s a few moments to slow things down such as Dust To Dust but even they feature multi-layered compositions so nothing is ever simplistic in these song s but they are filled with hooks and classic heavy metal excellence. This trio of Karlsson, Romero and Terrana continue to pump out melodic metal with ease and Iron Will is another fine example. 8/10

Wildness – Avenger (Frontiers Music Srl) [Simon Black]

Wildness are a Swedish AOR/Hard Rock outfit hailing from Sweden, a country where it seems every other person you might meet on the streets of Stockholm is in a rock/metal band, thanks to the wonderfully supportive nature of the Swedish state with regard to the arts. 

If only we had something similar over here in the UK… They’ve been around since 2014, and built slowly, impacted by a change in frontman straight after their debut self-titled release hit the racks in 2017. Having dusted themselves down from that, their sophomore (the ironically titled Ultimate Demise) came out in that great year of growth for all recording artists globally that was 2020. Quite…

When you can’t tour in support of a release, it’s really damned hard to build a following, and consequently this third album also comes with a new record label (Frontiers Records Srl). Fortunately, Frontiers have more than proved their chops when it comes to this genre, more so since their output has moved slightly away from endless semi-solo nostalgia projects historical names with session players and more to supporting genuine new and growing bands like Wildness.

From the get-go this record avoids a lot of the repetition all too sadly common which bands (and indeed labels) within the genre can resort to, with a series of well-structured highly melodic and catchy songs that nearly all within the four-minute mark don’t outstay their welcome at all. Second track and single Crucified is a proper banger, along with the high tempo title-track, but to be honest I can’t really fault any of the songs on here, many of which would work well as door openers or festival audience audio cattle prods.

 
It’s a traditional five-piece line-up, oozing the influences of the likes of more modern H.E.A.T. spliced with older Europe and Dokken, with the kind of fluidity in guitar players that shows both Adam Holmström and Pontus Sköld seamlessly bouncing off of each other and sharing the workload. 

The rhythm section is very solid, although the only criticism here is Marcus Sjösund’s bass is a little back in the mix sometimes, compared to the quite sharp drums sound from Erik Modin, but that’s all part of the 80’s Rock Radio feel they are going for. 

Erik Forsberg has a strong presence vocally throughout, holds the attention but varies the tone and style well stepping back periodically for some solid instrumental flourishes from the others.

This record has been gestating since 2021, and it really benefits from the time to get it right, because it does not feel rushed, formulaic or repetitive, which in the AOR world makes it an absolute breath of fresh air. 8/10