ROSS THE BOSS

Wow, this is such a step up from the debut album which, if I’m honest, I found to be quite a disappointment. Former Manowar guitarist Ross the Boss Friedman returns with another album under his own moniker. This certainly feels more like a Manowar album with its anthemic qualities and songwriting, even to the degree of the bass guitar having that Joey De Maio trademark sound. This album is definitely what I expected from the first one but didn’t materialise! One of the big steps up is the vocals from Patrick Fuchs. It was the vocals on the first Ross the Boss album that left me feeling cold but here they shine, and have much more power. Reference points for the album as a whole will definitely be the Manowar sound of the ‘Kings of Metal’ era; whether that is a good or bad thing depends on your view of Manowar. The songs themselves are well constructed with many hook lines and feel as though they have a longevity (I’ve been listening to this for quite a while now and not got bored of the album once). Stand out tracks are ‘I.A.G.’ for its glorious Manowar bass sound and, more importantly, feel of the opening part to ‘Guyana (Cult of the Damned)’, ‘Kingdom Arise’ – a track that could have come straight from the aforementioned ‘Kings of Metal’ album, and album closer ‘Empire’s Anthem’ – again some emotive bass work opens another new epic from Ross the Boss. This is a very strong album. Although it breaks no new boundaries it’s just damn good to hear heavy metal like this played with such gusto.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

AFM Records

Album

HAILSTORM

Review by Paul Sims

RUNNING TIME:

45:25

RELEASE DATE:

1st Nov 2010

TRACK LISTING

1) I.A.G.
2) Kingdom Arise
3) Dead Man's Curve
4) Hailstorm
5) Burn Alive
6) Crom
7) Behold the Kingdom
8) Great Gods Glorious
9) Shining Path
10) Among the Ruins
11) Empire's Anthem

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

US/Germany

"Although it breaks no new boundaries it’s just damn good to hear heavy metal like this played with such gusto."