Torture Tunes
Artillery
Penalty by Perception
Thirty one years ago artillery released their first full-length. Now its 2016 and here comes album Number eight. The first appearance of the CD comes with the cover; not a very spectacular one indeed. But I am excited to hear what the music of "Penalty by Perception" will reveal.
It takes 49 seconds of atmospheric introduction until the first razor sharp riff shoots out, followed by the stunning voice of Michael B. Dahl. I am confronted with gorgeous epic power and a punching modern thrash sound; not really what I expected.
To be honest I had to skip from track to track cause’ the sound of the guitars is exhausting. You may like the force in it, but those guitars bomb down through my speakers just way too compressed. The energy can't flow naturally and the songs suffer under it.
On the contrary, the energy of the vocals is phenomenal. If you enjoyed Onslaught's "In Search of sanity" or Bands like Hades and F.K.Ü. this is pure gold for you; goosebumps guaranteed. The strongest song in my opinion is "Welcome to the Mind Factory". Finally I felt thrown back in time when I first heard Artillery's Masterwork “By Inheritance”. A brilliant melodic intro lick leads into thundering groove beats. The drive is enormous. The fulminant chorus turns this hit into a power metal explosion. Simply great - my player is set to repeat.
Artillery
Penalty by Perception
(Metal Blade)
Written by: Exx Tom
7 out of 10
The CD goes round in circles, as do the songs. They are all great but still to comparable in their arrangement and energy. Artillery’s work is not rich in variety. You definitely find some highlights, but you will have to wait for it while another gentle solo or repetition is dragging the song again.
Strong Songs; failed Sound. 7/10
Exx Tom, HMS
Back to Torture Tunes menu