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By RYAN MAVITY
Power metal is like the Western of music genres. There is really no way to do it without submitting to certain fundamental clichés. There must be a screeching vocalist, pounding drums and blistering guitar solos, usually in a span of about five to six minutes. The result will either sound like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, or resemble the groove metal of Pantera.
Norway’s Paganize fits more into the latter category; it’s like Iron Maiden without Ed and the fencing. It’s only fitting that bassist Tor Seltveit once played in an Iron Maiden tribute band. The opener, “The Hour,” sets the tone. A pounding rocker with double kick drums and singer Geir Fredheim’s sub-Dickinson wail, it gets the album off to a solid start. “Conscience” and “Dark” have riffs similar to Ride the Lightning-era Metallica. “Hollow” has a heavy, galloping, down-tuned sound, though it lingers a bit too long. “Turn of the Tide” speeds the pace up again and has a nice bass intro from Seltvit.
But the album never really takes off and bursts free from the sameness of the genre. The band’s commitment to old-school styles is admirable, but it never takes the clichés and infuses them with gusto and fresh energy. It sticks to merely regurgitating them. For example, close your eyes and listen to the “The Wraith” and you can envision it on Killers or Number of the Beast. Same with “Mary Kings Close” or the closer, “Unfolded.”
Evilution Hour provides a nice jolt of power metal but never goes the distance and emerges as something that stands on its own. It feels more like an anthology than anything else. To use the Western analogy again, Evilution Hour is sort of like Kevin Costner’s “Wyatt Earp.” It tells the same story as “Tombstone,” minus the energy and sense of fun. It’s not bad; it just never emerges from the shadow of its predecessor. Paganize plays this music well, but one would like to see them do a little more.
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