இவ Ice Vajal :: Music Land :: Metal World | ||
Bands :: A-Z / T / The Claymore / |
II - Volker Raabe - Sygn - Claudia Ehrhardt - Damnation Reigns - Umberto Mino - Damnation Reigns - Mike Thompson -
Damnation Reigns
(Black Bards - 2010)
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I generally think the level of melodic power metal bands coming out of Germany is very high, although many of them do tend to sound a bit samey. This is the first album I've heard from Germany's The Claymore even though they have two full-lengths out already. Does The Claymore offer anything new with Damnation Reigns? |
Damnation Reigns
(Black Bards - 2010)
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The Claymore publish their third album,this new one Damnation Reigns with new maturity, a good sound and songs and some very important guests like Victor Smolski (Rage) and the golden throat Tim 'Ripper' Owens. How is the result of this new episode for this German band? The answer is easy: a collection of classic / power metal songs very nice from the first listening, not so much falling dows on this new albums where the quality is good and most important thing, the possibility to get out very soon from their second / third level of the big stairway to notoriety!!! I hope that from the next album they will show their biggest talent to the world. Anyway, now it's better talk about this album, a mix of classic and power metal, dynamic and various and not 'for fans only'. The Damnation Reigns CD starts with Ashes Of The Wicked a simple accelerated mid-tempo with tons of melodies and some echoes of Helloween, and the follower Oceans give us the dreams about these vast waters. Behind Enemy Lines has 'Ripper' Owens as special guest and the result is clear: a great band performance and a great (as usual) performance by 'Ripper'!!! Now it's time for the title track, a mid-tempo song where is clear that The Claymore could do better, a song that must be the starting point for their next album. Return To Zero is one of the low points of this good album, not a power ballad, not a powerful song, but the next Silent Scorn shows us the best side of this band, a fast and excellent track!!!! Children Of The Nile is another powerful track, Oblivion is the second low episode of this album, (e)Scapegoat is a superb track, the best episode on this CD. The final song As Twilight Falls is the best way to close this album, a cool track where melodies and power is mixed at their best. The bonus track is a good cover version of WASP's Chainsaw Charlie. |
Sygn
(Black Bards - 2008)
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The Claymore was founded in 2000 and after 2 demos the band from Castrop-Rauxel released their first CD Monument in 2004. The band play a lot live shows and finally they headed into the studio to record the follow-up Sygn. Actually they recorded the album in their own Sounds Of Steel Studios where they already produced other bands, an experience which help them to do their own CD. |
II
(self-released - 2002)
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This is one of the bands which keep the spirit of metal in Germany alive. With 2 the guys from Castrop-Rauxel released one of the best and more innovative than many other stuff I heard from the metal underground during the last years. The band is playing very emotional and their virtuosity is impressing. What makes The Claymore special? The boys use different elements of the U.S. power metal and have with frontman Andreas Grundmann a singer who easily can sing the complex songs and can be compared with Kamelot's Roy Khan and still have their very own identity. Perhaps there are some who won't like the progressive touch of the Germany, but for me songs like Beyond The Wall Of Tears, Claymore and Arborlorn are outstanding compositions. This band have a lot of ideas which they present very powerful. I hope that The Claymore will stay active and won't give up, coz they are God-like! |
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