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7.0
- Bands:
BURNING BLACK - Duration: 00:53:33
- Available from: 05/31/2024
- Label:
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Punishment 18 Records
The Treviso band Burning Black arrive with this “Resilience Of A Broken Heart” at the flattering milestone of their fourth album of unreleased songs. Formed now about fifteen years ago, they have their most distinctive trait and strong point in the singer Dan Ainlay, born Massimo De Nardi, but the whole group expresses itself at good levels in this new release by Punishment 18.
The beginning is almost dazzling, the song chosen for the promotional video, “Your Skin Is Fire”, the title track and the metallic anthem “Last Band On The Heart” quickly follow one another, a truly successful and competitive triptych. The first immediately puts the Judas Priest influences on the plate, which are the most evident and present throughout the album, especially as regards the lead vocals; in addition to this, the chorus also recalls something of Vision Divine, from the Michele Luppi period, demonstrating that Ainlay knows how to change register according to needs, scratching, if necessary, or lulling the listener with spot-on melodies. The second track instead refers to the Queensrÿche of “Empire”, and shows the more sophisticated and catchy side of Burning Black, while the third, in the initial riff and in the hypnotic chorus, has something of the Rage of the “Black In Mind”/”End” period Of All Days”. The rest of the work stands at honorable levels of quality, with some further peaks, such as the sixth “The Price To Pay” and the seventh “War Forever”, reminiscent of Iron Maiden. The final “Rise From The Ashes Of The Defeated” deserves a separate discussion, a true suite, introduced by the inevitable arpeggio, which retraces, in almost eleven minutes of duration, the various facets of Burning Black’s sound.
On an instrumental level, we have a very classic heavy metal that sometimes features rockier parts in US power style, while the keyboards, always purely accompaniment, and the sound refined in Mika Jussila’s renowned Finnvox Studios give the work a touch of power European. But, as already mentioned, it is Ainlay’s uvula that reigns supreme, and the most obvious point of reference is Rob Halford, who is evoked several times, especially in the more shrill upper register, which gives that incisiveness to the songs that sometimes it is missing on an instrumental level. However, Burning Black’s decidedly 1980s classic metal manages not to sound too old or outdated, and even in this it recalls, in due proportion, Judas Priest from their last two albums, who try to give a fresh touch to the sound of their masterpieces of the Eighties “Screaming For Vengeance” and “Defenders Of The Faith”.
Compared to previous releases, in this “Resilience Of A Broken Heart” Burning Black seems to be looking for a square to their stylistic code: the pieces are drier and more flowing, the amalgam well balanced and constant throughout the development of the work; However, be careful that by smoothing the edges too much there is the risk of harmless and predictable results. Sometimes one has the impression that a riff is missing, an instrumental passage, a solo truly capable of giving an extra push to the music of Burning Black, which has the singer as its spearhead, but also the cumbersome figure that tends to monopolize all the attention on yourself. The final result however remains engaging and highly enjoyable.
Cover illustration, album graphics, titles and lyrics are the most typically metallic thing you can imagine, and that’s fine, considering the proposal. An album that tastes of beer and motorcycles, a team that holds high the flag of the most classic Italian heavy metal, to the joy of old and new fans of the Bel Paese and beyond.
