format: LP
year: 1990
country: Italy
label: A80
#: A.L.P. 001
info: -
style: Heavy Metal, Power Metal
Side A:
Side B:
"Real Men who don't think a quadrillion and one German Metal bands are enough choose AES!"
There's your re-ish hype-sticker quote, signed and delivered by the all-knowing Corroseum ...or no, not quite. The fact that this album truly RIPS doesn't come off clearly enough, so let's do a proper review instead - they can always fit it on an obi I'm sure...
Despite my making fun of its German'ness I do want to point out that there is also plenty of originality going on here. The songwriting is diverse and there's passages I find distinctly Italian in their quirkyness and ability to surprise the listener. Sure, bands like early Running Wild, Airwolf, Arrow and Atlain are probably the first references that would spring into the minds of most distinguished 80's Metal fans, but then there's those other bits & pieces, like the kooky break after the chorus in "Wind Is Raising"(sic), the Death SS-like chorus of "Cruel World", the Jaguar/Raven-NWOBHM-ripper-riffing in the bloody awesome "Killer Jo" and the intricacies and pure Epic Gold of the srsly-Top-10- evah'-instrumental "Earth Of Fire", to bend things in a slightly more left-hand direction. And that's only the first side!
B-opener "Power Metal" is very much the hetero version thereof, wielding an unusually heavy sword of iron for a chorus. Next is usually where we find the first couple of fillers but hell no, not on AES' watch. Instead they serve up another hit in the form of "No More Breaths At All", vaguely/in parts reminding me of earliest Blind Guardian, only the epic chorus takes and unexpected turn for the meaner. Then comes "Let's Ride" and ok, this is pretty much Speed-Running Wild/Warrant all the way but who would ever complain? The playful heavy rocker "Freeman" wraps everything up nice and tight by not being so terribly dull as heavy rocker upper-tighters often can be.
The abstract painting adorning the front sleeve (the logo is just a trasparent sticker placed on the shrink-wrap) might give off a more obscure vibe than the album rightfully deserves but it still works perfectly because Italy, remember? Rumoured to exist in a measly 300 copies, but the source is unknown to me. A top-10 Italian Steel contender that's worth getting for anything under €150 if you ask me.