RESISTANCE
“METAL MACHINE”
Album Review By Iron Mathew

10/10

Resistance are a heavy metal band from the USA formed in 2000 releasing their debut album ‘Lies In Black’ in 2004, with the follow up, ‘Patents Of Control’ in 2007. Resistance have a huge legion of fans, having performed everywhere on stages and festivals, both nationally and internationally, including appearances at Head Bangers Open Air (Germany), Up The Hammers Festival (Greece) and Frost And Fire Festival (USA). The band released the six song E.P. ‘Volume 1 Battle Scars’ in 2015, with their third full length album, ‘Metal Machine’ released in 2017.

Just looking at the cover of the latest album from American power metallers Resistance, you immediately get the feeling this could be a great album, and you wouldn’t be wrong. ‘Metal Machine’ (the album) opens with the blistering title song ‘Metal Machine’ and its anthemic sing a long style chorus “bow down to the metal machine, filled with pulsing sonic rage, snatched by throat from centre stage, bow down to the metal machine”. And what a metal machine Resistance are…the five piece band power on with the superb ‘Hail To The Horns’. One hundred percent addictive, ‘Hail To The Horns’ is infectious and gallops along at a head bangingly pleasing pace. Fellow countrymen, the legendary power metal outfit Manowar, are famed for their metal anthems, and in the shape of ‘Hail To The Horns’, Resistance have produced a metal anthem to stand shoulder to shoulder with anything that Manowar have released.

The opening double salvo was only an appetiser for the explosive flurry that follows. ‘Rise And Defend’ increases the energy and intensity levels, rocketing on at high velocity. Heads will be nodding back and forth violently as ‘Rise And Defend’ batters the airways with chopping guitars and its galloping rhythm. Resistance maintain the pace and power with ‘Some Gave All’. A mesmerising slab of heavy rock, ‘Some Gave All’ is catchy and very heavy to boot. The vocal delivery of lead singer Robbie Hett is top notch, blending his throaty rasp with traits of legendary singers Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Rob Halford (Judas Priest). With only eight songs across thirty two minutes, the new album is a little light weight on the numbers, but is a definite heavy weight in the power metal genre. Pace still doesn’t let up as ‘Time Machine’ romps into view and sets off at a scorching speed. Blistering guitars and a thundering rhythm push ‘Time Machine’ along with purpose, and you’ll find yourself instantly head banging along.

Every now and then an album comes along that is perfect in every respect, and ‘Metal Machine’ fits into that category with ease, alongside recent releases by Reverence (2015’s Gods Of War), Victorius (2017’s Heart Of The Phoenix) and Night Demon (2017’s Darkness Remains). The catchiest song on the album is ‘Dirty Side Down’, with its one hundred percent sing a long style chorus and “foot on the monitor” feel as it races on its way. In fact, every song on the album has been addictive and infectious, and without a single ballad in sight, ‘Heroes’ picks up the intensity and is the heaviest song on the album. Not losing any of the addictiveness that every song on offer has shown, ‘Heroes’ buzzes and bubbles along, confirming Resistance as a major force in the worldwide power metal genre. Bringing a superb album to an end is a cover of the Scorpions ‘Blackout’, from the Germans 1982 album of the same name. As covers go, this one is electrifying and absolutely brilliant. Keeping to the pace of the original, Resistance do an excellent job of actually sounding like the Scorpions, even to the extent that the vocals do sound a little similar to (the Scorpions singer) Klaus Meine.

Overall, a superb slice of power metal, played at a high tempo and full of infectious rhythms that will keep you smiling and head banging for a long time to come.

TRACKLIST

Metal Machine
Hail To The Horns
Rise And Defend
Some Gave All
Time Machine
Dirty Side Down
Heroes
Blackout (Scorpions cover)

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