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Somewhat raw yet solid Metal, but with varying levels of energy.-
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| Wild: La Nueva Orden |
Heavy Metal, Power Metal
Stormspell Records
August 3rd, 2011
- MMXI - 1:10
- Condenado - 3:44
- Arde en la Hoguera - 3:59
- La Nueva Orden - 3:17
- Hijos del Rock - 3:53
- Nunca Mires a los Ojos de la Muerte - 4:00
- Reina de la Noche - 3:05
- El Extrano - 5:49
- Heavy Metal (Es mi Religion) - 3:46
- Juicio Final - 10:58
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| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 43:41
Review posted on June 27th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 8.5/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
La Nueva Orden (2011)
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| EP(s): |
We Are WILD (2004) • Calles de Fuego (2009)
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| Demo(s): |
Juicio Final (2005) • Heavy Metal (2008)
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| Review |
The Heavy/Power Metla entity known as Wild originally went under the title Majesty Night and released one EP under that monicker. The band formed back in 2002 under that name, but in 2004 eventually changed it to Wild and became a five piece act. This Spain-based group has issued two EPs and demos in total, and recently recorded the material to their first full-length release, La Nueva Orden, which was picked up for a release through Stormspell Records. Capturing the general Heavy Metal attitude while still bringing an upbeat Power Metal atmosphere to the mix, Wild bring an ambitious album to the masses that salivate for solid Metal, and with this release they take their first steps out of the shadows of the underground.
La Nueva Orden clearly has ties to traditional Heavy Metal and Power Metal, though some similarities to earlier Hard Rock acts like Accept can still be made to the material. The band brings a lighter vibe to the mix with the music, and that feeling really makes their material more enjoyable and just fun to listen to. Right off the bat , "Condenado" grabs the listener with it's mid-paced music that brings in the commanding presence of older NWOBHM acts like Judas Priest and even UDO to the forefront while still taking on a lighter Power Metal approach that makes it headbang worthy against the backdrop of obvious devotion and pleasure the band displays to the style in their performance. And that's basically what you get with each track. The music doesn't really have that much energy to it, but it's not robotic or unenthusiastic either, possessing enough kharisma to show the band is happy to be recording these tracks, and with that comes the confidence that the release will not have a lot of filler material to it.
But, with the obvious expectations set up, this song, as well as the introduction track "MMXI" establish the limitations of this effort. The production is rather raw to this release, having more of an open sound to it. The music recorded simply is not that rich and comes off with a higher pitch that is similar to late seventies, early eighties NWOBHM material, especially with "Hijos del Rock" and it's stronger Hard Rock influence from around that same time period. The bass is pretty loud in the mix too, and really becomes a staple element of the recording, adding enough of a bite to this song, as well as others, to keep them interesting and with the help of the well paced drumming that doesn't do too little or too much like some bands will try to do, they breathe life into listener and make his or her head bob along with the music. The vocals are also lacking a bit on here, and not just from the overall quality from the recording. While they clearly suit the music, they don't quite feel like the vocalist is putting in as much as effort as he should be at times. Of course this isn't every performance, and the clean singing does work with the music so it doesn't take away from the overall experience in any sense, but on both levels (the production and the vocalist himself), this part of the recording could have been a little stronger in benefit of the album.
But even with the lacking richness in the final product's music, this album has plenty of great tracks to it. "Aide en la Hoguera" does a great job at mixing together the Power Metal and Heavy Metal sounds to really create a catchy, more accessible song that any fan of Rock, Metal, or heavier music is going to enjoy in general. "Hijos del Rock" also stands out obviously, and it's more Rock anthem build and attitude is catchy from start to finish. But "Reina de la Noche" is really where Wild is at their best. The music feels heavier, a little richer due to the energy and how much is going on in the song, and the vocals are really on the ball with matching that energy. This is really how every song should sound overall, and it becomes a very memorable track that gets the listener's blood pumping to the point where headbanging is no longer considered an option and you'll want to start belting along with the band in their native tongue."Heavy Metal (Es mi Religion)" is another adrenaline fueled track like "Reina de la Noche", and it better be considering it's more a Heavy Metal anthem. The song goes off at a traditional chugging style but with a faster, upbeat pace, and plenty of energy exhibited by the band and the vocalist with some gang chants going on during the chorus, all leading to a very catchy song that will leave a strong imprint on the listener and be one of the reasons for return visits to the release.
There is one other track that stands out on La Nueva Orden, and it's the closing effort. "Juicio Final" is nearly eleven minutes in length, and it's clear the band tackles this song in a manner that is meant to be a bit more epic and sometimes, especially around the guitar solo, seems to take on a more artistic approach, or something similar to that in the vein of Pink Floyd at times. It becomes a rather interesting track due to that, but for the most part it remains a solid Heavy Metal track that offers up enough variety to the mix to keep the listener happy and not repeat itself over and over. The levels of energy also vary through the song, as some parts don't quite have that real kick of energy, while other parts do, like after the more Pink Floyd-ish guitar solo. But, however you look at it, this song shows the band's dexterity and stamina towards writing longer tracks with their more straight forward Heavy Metal meets Power Metal sound and keep it engaging the entire time without random moments of white noise that eats up time or cheap gimmicks of that nature.
Overall, with the production issues aside, La Nueva Orden is solid traditional Heavy Metal and Power Metal mixed together. The band handles the music with pride and clearly wants to be doing this music, as well as to record this album. The energy levels do vary, sometimes greatly, but at the end of the day the music is catchy, often headbang worthy, and can come across more accessible to other people who aren't the most devotes fans of Heavy Metal without becoming a mainstream-based release. La Nueva Orden shows a promising band with plenty of enthusiasm to really weave a full-length that will climb the ranks of those in today's Metal world that stand tall in the field, and pays homage nicely without becoming a carbon copy or plagiarist to the pioneers who set the standard for these styles. If you're looking for something fun yet still has that attitude of Hard Rock or even Heavy Metal, then Wild's first full-length effort, La Nueva Orden, is right up your alley and definitely worth you time, money, and the many repeat spins it will find at your hands.
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