Dean Wallace - Metal Family
Dean Wallace, now based near London/UK, is a songwriter from Praz sur Arly in the French Alps region. This ‘metal family’ was released last year and comes to me with the promise of influences from Metallica, Iron Maiden and Pantera. Interesting, although the Metallica influence is mainly the 90’s ‘Load’ era but vocally there are quite a few startling comparisons to the great Hetfield, a nice touch, but this depends if you like 90’s groove orientated music masked as thrash.
The opener ‘Get Away From My Home’ has a few modern influences and reminds me of UK band The More I See, a hybrid of riffing, thrash and modern groove. ‘The New Slavery’ there’s a large slab of Metallica influence, right down to the vocal phrasing, this bites a touch harder than earlier tracks and fulfills a desire to let loose with the album a touch more. The more straight metal tunes come along like the title track, which, in places, takes me to U.D.O. comparisons on the drum patterns especially.
As the album progresses, its gets more enlightening through entertainment, initial misgivings are subdued and you will start to enjoy the flow a touch more. Something that could have been helped at the start of the release with a different track running order I think. It’s an album for fans of modern thrash based groove, with touches of metal here and there and has a strong vocal. The boat may have sailed for this style in their chosen country of residence, but there’s still a fan base for this style. ‘Metal Family’ is filled with a vision and influence of times past and is boosted by some crafty fretwork and memorable melodies that you may well find yourself thinking you have heard before, a shear matter of circumstance I might add rather than pure tribute. Still, it is very much a commendable effort.
The opener ‘Get Away From My Home’ has a few modern influences and reminds me of UK band The More I See, a hybrid of riffing, thrash and modern groove. ‘The New Slavery’ there’s a large slab of Metallica influence, right down to the vocal phrasing, this bites a touch harder than earlier tracks and fulfills a desire to let loose with the album a touch more. The more straight metal tunes come along like the title track, which, in places, takes me to U.D.O. comparisons on the drum patterns especially.
As the album progresses, its gets more enlightening through entertainment, initial misgivings are subdued and you will start to enjoy the flow a touch more. Something that could have been helped at the start of the release with a different track running order I think. It’s an album for fans of modern thrash based groove, with touches of metal here and there and has a strong vocal. The boat may have sailed for this style in their chosen country of residence, but there’s still a fan base for this style. ‘Metal Family’ is filled with a vision and influence of times past and is boosted by some crafty fretwork and memorable melodies that you may well find yourself thinking you have heard before, a shear matter of circumstance I might add rather than pure tribute. Still, it is very much a commendable effort.
- Get Away From My Home
- Our Only Chance
- The New Slavery
- I’m Not A Hero
- Its My Turn
- The Ferryman Of Soul
- My Eternal Why
- Flying Coffin
- Headshot
- Metal Family
Self released
Reviewer: twansibon
Nov 3, 2015
Nov 3, 2015
Next review:
Purtenance - …To Spread The Flame Of Ancients
Share this:
