The debut album from Swedish act Lancer is a rather pleasant romp through power metal a la Halloween or Hammerfall, and feels fresh and vibrant. These guys are a real find, with singer Isak Stenvall being a definite talent – he has a great range and boy can he hit those high notes. But, I am not sure if they have had the right producers at work here. I’m not sure if the final product is exactly how the band normally sound as there is a feeling that he heaviness has been taken away to some extent and that they have moved more into a melodic rock area, almost AOR, as opposed to thumping along with the guitars soaring and the drum and bass driving them through.
It is an album that I have enjoyed immensely, but there is a definite feeling of 80’s production and I want to hear the guitars with way more edge. The interplay between Peter and Fredrik is great, and I am sure that in the live environment they are probably quite some force, but there is a feeling of power metal-lite as opposed to ball crunching sounds and passion. But, I have enjoyed playing this album a great deal, but if there was less pop and more metal than I know I would have enjoyed it even more.
www.lancermetal.com
