MadnessChinchilla |
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Using my substantial intuitiveness and foresight, I'm able to guess that here's a band that's either got to be from Germany, Sweden… or Ohio. Judging simply by their song titles and their come hither "Intro" it's quite evident they follow the path of Power Metal over a melodically methodical course that never veers very far off the straight and narrow… actually I couldn't come up with all that from the opening tune but it is in fact, what they do. And they are German after all and so that's where we'll begin the comparative aspect with the relatively unknown Chinchilla and the traditionally inspired style which they've embraced for a predictable yet inspired record. I don't think I've heard stuff like this since… the Mets won the world series-no, I'm not being delusional about last year, I am talking about 1986 and ironically enough the band first got their start two years later and thus the somewhat dated but integral features of the music. The fivesome's undergone some changes over the years and endured a few splits along the way which explains their obscurity up to now but what they're doing falls between some of the better known German talents of the Metal tradition. More in line with the likes of Axel Rudi Pell and Sinner rather than the Power and Speed visionaries of a Gamma Ray or Primal Fear type, the songs are embossed in catchy melodies and simple structures that twelve years ago would seem downright commercial whereas today, not even an issue. New singer Thomas Laasch has a forthright style, fairly unique against the generally high-pitched siren-like bandleaders, very mid-range, sometimes raspy but usually upbeat-and ample backing vocals as a complement-we can throw Angel Dust in their as well for another benchmark. Par for the course of course and nearly majestic in their anthemic range but never quite so full of themselves. Your basic intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and so on place firm emphasis on the songs themselves with little in the way of exploratory instrumental ramblings or storybook fantasies-again we'll elude to the "commercial" aspect from before and that general sing-along quality when the time arrives. Definitely a solid effort on "Madness" though there's no evident tie-in thematically with the title. Standouts include the opener, "Fight," follow up "Freedom," and "Queen of the Rain" though the latter not so much for it's own merit than rather rounding out a triploid of sorts that revolves around a tone of freedom. A searing Kiss cover for "I Stole Your Love" is another worth a listen, resoundingly better than Helloween's earlier "I Stole Your Heart" version from the "Master of the Rings" B-side and the title track and its follow up "Living on My Own" stand proudly at the top of the line here. The rest, maybe except for "Where the Brave Belong," are pretty general and repetitive. Not a bad outing overall from a band whose shared the stage with the many European mega-talents and don't be surprised if they begin an ascent to respectability of their own before too long. Released by Metal Blade Records
GmbH, P.O. Box 1332, 73054 Eislingen, Germany. Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu]
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"Madtropolis" Chinchilla |
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Chinchilla… the name didn't impress me much when I first heard their "Madness" release of 2000. The idea of a Power Metal band brandishing a name more suitable to one of those cutesy eighties' Rock mag guitar-player types pushing instructional tapes on the back page was a bit hard to take seriously. Then it dawns on me, okay, "true" Heavy Metal isn't exactly the stuff of 10pm news stories - nor was it meant to be. I was soon sold on the catchiness of their delivery - a well-blended mix of power, speed, and melody, all of the ingredients that led such supreme powers as Maiden and Priest to greatness… and maybe The Rods, if anyone cared to listen. How's that for dying for the cause. Okay then… Chinchilla's less reliant on the virtuosity of the many German greats yet very traditionally-minded and more in line with the Saxon's and and Manowar's of the world where "Metal" embodies their very existence with songs that typically question government, religion, and into glory ride… interestingly enough, they could be the next Pretty Maids if they opted to throw in a good girl gone bad verse now and again. No surprise then to learn their origins reach back to 1988. They've been through the band member turnstile on several occasions but seem solidified since their "Madness" breakthrough on Metal Blade a few years back. In fact to distinguish a minute difference between them is nearly impossible - a testament to their focus, for sure, but more so the belief in what their doing despite running the risk of redundancy. But then they've had more than enough success stories to follow from, particularly on the German front - see above. "Madtropolis" thus is more of the same - if you followed "Madness" and their follow up, "The Last Millenium?" the only real surprise here is that… well, besides the clever compu-age album art, is the fact that the band can retain the integrity they began with and not miss a beat… and maybe the fact that you might actually know Fast Eddie contributes a solo without looking first. Sorry Ed, no slant meant, but you're just not that distinctive - please, no more solo albums! And the beats, bombastic and stiff, owe much to the heavy half steps of the classic era, and go far in exemplifying the "big" sound that pioneered the spirit of Metal's heyday. It's worked for Chinchilla throughout, and it works here, but not without a few overdrawn clichés in the mix - "Satellite," why? "Heavy Metal," "Money Rules Everything." They'd work great for resurrecting Dokken's career, but here, a little too syrupy for what is an otherwise potent and well-produced offering. For starters, "The Rise/Fall Of Madtropolis" are near 90 second intro/outros that encase contents such as "Our Destiny," a unifying stein-raising staple that'd go over big on the festival front; "A Dance With The Devil" is a catchy mid-tempo track with thick back up vocs, though we're resolved to acknowledge the necessity of such and German Metal standard of unification through pumping fists and hard charging chants; "When The Sand Darkens The Sun" is one of the strongest pieces here, epic-like and a step deeper in seriousness. Ditto for "Headless Fools" and "Battle Of The World," two dramatic turns documenting misguided principles and might over right. Maybe a slight more "progressive" with on and again mid-breaks of percussive texture, but overall, "Madtropolis" is another mid-'80s style assembly-line Metal model that devours the past 17 years like they weren't even there. Released by Metal
Blade Records GmbH, P.O. Box 1332, 73054 Eislingen, Germany. For all the latest
news and info, check out Chinchilla's official website at: http://www.chinchilla.rocks.de
Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu]
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