Ross the Boss, a name that many people may overlook without knowing that the band's name reflect the guitarist, Ross "The Boss" Friedman, of the band Manowar. That statement right there is enough to make many fans of Heavy Metal run out and want to buy this album, or perhaps their debut release, New Metal Leader, since Hailstorm marks the second full-length. In all honestym, this band is not new to me, but I never actually put it together just who was involved in the project, which pains me since I happen to be a fan of his work in Manowar. Aside that fact, Ross the Boss isn't like Manowar, as this material is a nice mixture of Power Metal, and traditional Heavy Metal sounds, making for an album that isn't really that original, but is at least entertaining and features some great musicianship, especially in the solos, but the latter was to be expected.
As far as the music goes, Hailstorm is a strong album, showing great diversity both with the music throughout the album, and manages to keep a nice fantastical atmosphere to many of the songs. The introduction track "I.A.G." really sets the tone of the album nicely, and corresponds wtih the artwork on the cover of the release, but it doesn't quite seem to be matched by the other tracks that follow, especially "Kingdom Arise", which has more of a fantastical feel instead of some kind of Middle Eastern sound the intro, though the chorus does maintain a rather epic-sounding chorus that seems to act more as a build up to everything else. Fortunately, there's not many songs like that on this release, as there are plenty that flow nicely without having to worry about a sections that build up on one song that become repetitive after a while.
Again, there isn't really anything new with Hailstorm, or anything you haven't heard before. The music is clearly birthed from powerful Heavy Metal worship, but much of this release just doesn't have the same kick that one would expect from music like this. Though this release isn't necessarily "cheese metal" as some may call it, since it focuses more on actual lyrical content outside worshipping the musical style, as well as seems to harbor a conceptual atmosphere throughout, especially in the music, it's just that the music lacks any real bite, sounding very clear and for the most part of a higher pitch. "Behold the Kingdom" is a fantastic track that has some great musicianship going on, especially in the guitarwork, but the high pitched atmosphere guitar chords that appear during the chorus go into such a higher pitch that it actually becomes obnoxious. The bass is audible in the song, but is often drowned out by the guitar, so unless you crank the bass up, chances are good that little extra bite will not be audible. The guitar solo on this, as well as many other tracks like "Dead Man's Curve" and "Crom" are simply fantastic and well suited to the music.
Sadly, after the title track, "Hailstorm", there isn't all that much memorable about this album. As stated before, not all tracks have that same impact, and even sometimes sound a little hollow and repetitive. Atop of that, as you progress through the release, the conceptual aspect of Hailstorm even begins to feel repetitive. While "Crom" is a powerful track, by this point it just seems like the lyrics are repeating the same concept of building a kingdom over and over, which is solidified by the following "Behind the Kingdom. How many more songs can possibly be packed onto one album that focus solely on the rise, creation, or prosperity of one specific kingdom? Apparently seven is the current limit, though I'm sure more could have been placed on this release. There are only a few songs that really stray from that idea into other topics, such as the track "Dead Man's Curve", which is a very addicting song, and "Burn Alive" which brings in a nice old-school Hard Rock approach to the music.
It's a sad thing to say, but Hailstorm by Ross the Boss is an album that was clearly made with good intentions, but honestly didn't deliver. Considering the members of the band, and the member it's named after, one would expect greatness from this release, but as a follow-up album, Hailstorm winds up being a storm of another kind. While the music is often nicely varied between the styles, there really are only a few tracks on here that are powerful from start to finish, and there's an insane amount of repetition in the lyrics to the point where it just seems like the concept behind this release was just being drawn out horribly. After the first few spins, chances are good you'll grow tired of hearing about this specific kingdom, and the constant use of the word through the multiple songs composed in it's honor. It's worth giving a spin, just because it's spearheaded by Ross "the Boss" Friedman, and he, as well as the rest of the band, puts in a solid effort on some of the tracks, creating a very epic and powerful sound on those songs that are worth checking out. But, other then that, this is just a release that just doesn't have much to offer.
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