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POWERRAGE “Beast”
POWERRAGE “Beast”
By Dr. Abner Mality
It’s no secret EXCITER is one of my all-time go-to bands and that their classic guitarist John Ricci is one of my favorites. The first three EXCITER albums are untouchable. Alas, the members of the band find it extremely difficult to be in the same room without killing each other, which has led to decades of erratic output and finally, another break-up of the original crew.
Arising from the ashes is POWERRAGE, featuring Ricci and some time EXCITER vocalist Jacques Belanger, along with bassist Todd Pillon of WITCHKILLER and drummer Lucas Derry. John swears up and down that POWERRAGE is his baby all the way and that he had no intention of making it EXCITER 2.0. So naturally I called first dibs on “Beast”, the debut for the new project and was extremely interested in what it would sound like.
After hearing the album, I can honestly say it sounds like…EXCITER 2.0. Not that this is a bad thing, but the music is almost identical to EXCITER in the Belanger years. John’s guitar sound is not quite as raw and ripping and the production is smoother altogether. But cuts like “Dragon Man” and “I Torture, I Kill” are not that different from what you’d hear on “The Dark Command” or “Blood Of Tyrants”. That doesn’t bother me in the least, because I like that style of songwriting. One thing’s for sure, Jacques Belanger has never sounded more unhinged or extreme than he does here. Not only do we get those falsetto screams he’s infamous for, but a non-stop assault of bestial snarls, growls and roars. If Ricci’s guitar is smoother, Belanger’s over the top vocal performance makes up for it…and more!
It’s not all fast thrashing stuff, but it’s all heavy, with no ballads in sight. I liked the slower, stalking feel of “Haunted Hell” and “Damned And Cursed”...not a million miles away from “Born To Die” and “Burned At The Stake” from elder EXCITER days. The intensity lasts right through the final ripping cut, “The Black Mass”.
Is POWERRAGE completely divorced from the EXCITER sound? No, not a bit…and I think we can be thankful for that.
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