AFM
2011
1. Below The Line
2. In The Blink Of An Eye
3. Temple Of Stone
4. In These Walls
5. Still Insane
6. Dark Life
7. No Saint - No Sinner
8. Where Your Actions Lead You To Live
9. A Life On Hold
10. My Own Hell
Brainstorm are what I'd call a middle tier power metal band and that's not meant as a slight. Not everyone can be the top of a genre, but they've put out some pretty good material with a good vocalist and driving sound. Unfortunately, their last album Memorial Roots was uninspired to the point of just tedium and had no staying power at all. I guess with an album like this one the question becomes was it a one off flop or a more enduring turn for the worse.
Thankfully, I'd have to say Memorial Roots was that one off flop and things seem back in order with On The Spur Of The Moment. At least mostly. This isn't an instant home run, but the energy and life does seem breathed back into the band. Not exactly sure what happened with that last one, but On The Spur Of The Moment has some good wails from Franck and the pace doesn't seem so sedated. This is pretty much straight up German style power metal and it works pretty well for the band. As an overall listen this is has a pretty good sound and the band seems more together and frankly... awake.
Where the album does fall a bit short is in terms of highlights. A lot of this does blend as none of the songs really do break the mold. This is straight ahead to a fault. That is one thing that is similar to the last, but this one just sounds overall better. I guess I'd just like a nice couple of singles to latch onto. Something like a good, different hook that jumps out and that's not really something I found here. Also the choruses do not really jump out at me even if the vocals are pretty well delivered throughout the album.
I guess you could call On The Spur Of The Moment a bounce back, but it would've been nice if the band bounced back a little higher. Some stronger choruses like on past singles All Those Words, Doorway To Survive, etc could have elevated this one more. The songwriting just doesn't quite hook me. If you're a Brainstorm fan you can breathe a sigh of relief that this isn't Memorial Roots pt 2 though.
Highlights: Below The Line, No Sinner - No Saint
Rating - 3.0/5
2. In The Blink Of An Eye
3. Temple Of Stone
4. In These Walls
5. Still Insane
6. Dark Life
7. No Saint - No Sinner
8. Where Your Actions Lead You To Live
9. A Life On Hold
10. My Own Hell
Brainstorm are what I'd call a middle tier power metal band and that's not meant as a slight. Not everyone can be the top of a genre, but they've put out some pretty good material with a good vocalist and driving sound. Unfortunately, their last album Memorial Roots was uninspired to the point of just tedium and had no staying power at all. I guess with an album like this one the question becomes was it a one off flop or a more enduring turn for the worse.
Thankfully, I'd have to say Memorial Roots was that one off flop and things seem back in order with On The Spur Of The Moment. At least mostly. This isn't an instant home run, but the energy and life does seem breathed back into the band. Not exactly sure what happened with that last one, but On The Spur Of The Moment has some good wails from Franck and the pace doesn't seem so sedated. This is pretty much straight up German style power metal and it works pretty well for the band. As an overall listen this is has a pretty good sound and the band seems more together and frankly... awake.
Where the album does fall a bit short is in terms of highlights. A lot of this does blend as none of the songs really do break the mold. This is straight ahead to a fault. That is one thing that is similar to the last, but this one just sounds overall better. I guess I'd just like a nice couple of singles to latch onto. Something like a good, different hook that jumps out and that's not really something I found here. Also the choruses do not really jump out at me even if the vocals are pretty well delivered throughout the album.
I guess you could call On The Spur Of The Moment a bounce back, but it would've been nice if the band bounced back a little higher. Some stronger choruses like on past singles All Those Words, Doorway To Survive, etc could have elevated this one more. The songwriting just doesn't quite hook me. If you're a Brainstorm fan you can breathe a sigh of relief that this isn't Memorial Roots pt 2 though.
Highlights: Below The Line, No Sinner - No Saint
Rating - 3.0/5
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