AXE MASTER – Overture to Madness review

 AXE MASTER – Overture to Madness

Pure Steel Records

http://www.axemasterofficial.com/

It seems that Pure Steel Records manages to gather under its roof many underground legends of the 80’s. AXE MASTER is another well known band in the underground circles and the heavy metal collectors. Now after so many years of absence AXE MASTER are here to state they are still alive and offer us their new release under the title “Overture to Madness”.

THE COVER: The cover is quite dark and maybe obscure you might say. It shows a skull upon an open book and a pen. I think that it is an imposing image and somehow it gives you a hint of what you will listen to here.

MUSICAL STYLE: The band in the 80’s played U.S. power metal, but this is something that people who have followed the band already know. In 2015 things have changed a bit. Of course they are still playing U.S. power metal, but now they have added some modern elements like down tuned guitars (in the way that JUDAS PRIEST did in their “Jugulator” album) and they also have included some mid tempo thrash metal elements.

COMPOSITIONS: The new album of AXE MASTER includes 13 compositions and most of them are moving on a mid tempo pace. The band in comparison with its past sounds more dark and aggressive and somehow they sound like a combination of METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST (“Jugulator” era), SAVATAGE and ICED EARTH.

CONCLUSION: It is natural for a band to evolve and in 2015 AXE MASTER have certainly evolved their sound without forgetting that they are still a U.S. power metal band. In my opinion though the album is decent but it doesn’t have the melodies or the songs that can stay for long in my mind and make me want to listen to it again. So, try to take a taste of it before you reach any decision…

Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis