“Hold High The Flame” is the debut record
from American power metal band Final Sign. This album was put out by Divebomb
Records, a label that is likely more well-known for its reissues than newer
releases, but nevertheless, this is an album that will appeal to the label’s
core fanbase. Final Sign’s version of power metal is very old-school. They
offer the all guns blazing approach of records like “Thundersteel” and “Painkiller”,
driven by speedy riffs, over the top vocals, and lots of double bass. The most
noticeable element amongst these three is definitely the singing. Vocalist
Shawn Pelata has one of those voices that is so insanely powerful that it
transcends everything else that goes on. It is reminiscent of singers like
Ripper Owens or even Ralf Scheepers on the early Primal Fear records. Unlike
those singers however, Pelata has better control over his voice and doesn’t
just hit ridiculous notes for the sake of hitting them.
One of the things that makes “Hold High The
Flame” stand out immediately is just how many songs it has that are memorable
upon first listen. The opener, “Daring The Sun” is certainly the most obvious
choice, as the shouts of the title from the backing vocals are easy to sing
along to. The next track, “Burn The Temple Down”, is a mid-paced stomper that
actually reminds one again of Primal Fear (largely because of the groove it
gets into once it really gets going) and surprisingly of Metalium (because of
the heavy use of backing vocals). The title track shows Final Sign quickly
returning to blazing power metal. “Possessor” is a song that takes a different
approach, as it provides somewhat of a death metal assault. The vocals are
still high-pitched, but the riffing is chaotic and wild, and is distinct from
the riffs on the rest of the album.
No metal album is complete without the
obligatory ballad, and “Scaling Lies” is as close as Final Sign is willing to
get, even though it gets pretty heavy. The remainder of the second half of the
album isn’t quite as strong, but it certainly doesn’t show the band veering off
course. "Madness Eternal" even throws some blastbeats into the mix, as well as the quintessential "whoa-oh-oh" section. Ultimately, “Hold High The Flame” is an album that’s going to appeal to all of
those metal fans who dislike modern power metal under the (false) pretense that
it has no power in it. This album absolutely exudes power. Final Sign embraces the ‘80s, and “Hold High The Flame”
is an excellent release from a promising new band!
Highlights
"Daring The Sun"
"Burn The Temple Down"
"Scaling Lies"
Final Rating
4.3/5 or 86%.
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