NUCLEAR BLAST ALL-STARS 'Out of the Dark' (Nuclear Blast) RATING: 8/10

By JEFF MAKI

Nuclear Blast, celebrating it's 20th anniversary in 2007, has become one of the prominent underground metal labels. It's best known for its past and current roster of extreme metal acts, but they also have cornered the market on many other sub-genres of metal. This album is the companion to Into the Light, the predecessor of the Nuclear Blast All-Stars, which featured many of the label's power metal vocalists, such as Tobias Sammet of Edguy, Toni Kakko of Sonata Arctica and Tarja Turunenof Nightwish. Both albums are in the vein of Roadrunner Records' Roadrunner Reunited, with a main songwriter composing the songs with specific vocalists from the label's acts (past and present) in mind. Out of the Dark features 10 songs written by former Soilwork member Peter Wichers; he gets help from Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork) and Henry Ranta (ex-Soilwork) for his band.

Wichers did such an outstanding job of writing this collection of songs for the chosen vocalists that each track sounds like the singer's respective band. “Dysfunctional Hours” features Anders Friden of In Flames and could very well have been a song from In Flames' latest album Come Clarity—it's that damn good. “Cold Is My Vengeance” belongs to Kataklysm's Maurizio Iacono and this fucker rips! The vocal performance is simply devastating. John Bush (ex-Anthrax) takes on “Papertrail,” a song that does not necessarily fit in here but is a hard rocker reminiscent of his era in Anthrax. Other vocalists include Peter Tagtgren of Hypocrisy, Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork, Mark Osegueda of Death Angel, and Richard Sjunnesson and Roland Johansson from up-and-comers Sonic Syndicate. A cold, hard blast of icy air is heard in the black metal of “Devotion,” featuring Jari Maenpaa of Wintersun, while Guillaume Bideau of Mnemic closes the album with “Closer to the Edge.”

Out of the Dark is basically a greatest hits record. It is not only a special treat for fans of the vocalists' respective bands, but a brutal and amazing metal record on its own. Nuclear Blast knows how to celebrate an event such as this. Now, only if we could get one of these compilations every year.

Tracklisting:
1. Dysfunctional Hours (feat. Anders Friden of In Flames)
2. Schizo (feat. Peter Tagtgren of Hypocrisy)
3. Devotion (feat. Jari Mäenpäa of Wintersun)
4. The Overshadowing (feat. Christian Älvestam of Scar Symmetry)
5. Paper Trail (feat. John Bush, formerly of Anthrax)
6. The Dawn Of All (feat. Bjorn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork)
7. Cold Is My Vengeance (feat. Maurizio Iacono of Kataklysm)
8. My Name Is Fate (feat. Mark Osegueda of Death Angel)
9. The Gilded Dagger (feat. Richard Sjunnesson & Roland Johansson of Sonic Syndicate)
10. Closer To The Edge (feat. Guillaume Bideau of Mnemic)