SOLAR FLARE
SOLAR FLARE “Solar Flare”
By Dr. Abner Mality
Apparently this album originally came out in 2020 but its been remastered for this re-release. The band is from Ohio and tries to combine classic American power metal of the 80’s with the more modern European version. For the most part, the merger works, although not without some bumps.
“Medieval” is a catchy metal anthem like something from the early 80’s, but there’s a thick wash of synths and keys with it as well, In my opinion, the song would have been better without them. The vocals of Ethan Jackson are classic melodic metal, clear and strong, but not without an occasional hiccup or awkward vocal line. “Born To Burn” is very much in JUDAS PRIEST mode, like something from “Point of Entry” and effective in its simple way. The album centerpiece is “Pharaoh”, which has some very typical “Egyptian” sounding riffs that are nonetheless pretty engaging. The lead guitar work on this song is exceptional.
The second half of the album seems to be more on the melodic side, as “Taken To the Other Side” and “A World In My Head” are almost like metallic AOR with their vocal melodies. It’s a little syrupy on the latter track.
There’s nothing bad here, but also nothing outside of “Pharaoh” that slaps you upside the head and says “must buy”. I can recommend SOLAR FLARE to fans of HAMMERFALL and the like.