MAXXWELL
“METALIZED”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Maxxwell are a hard rock/metal band from Switzerland formed in 2006, releasing their debut album ‘Dogz On Dope’ in 2009. The bands second album ‘All In’ was released in 2011. ‘Tabula Rasa’, the bands third album released in 2014 featured a new singer, and was somewhat of a rebirth for the band. ‘Metalized’ is the fourth album by Maxxwell, and has taken nearly four years to complete, and sees the band go in a more metal direction than their previous heavy rocking releases.

First off though, what have bands such as AC/DC, Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Megadeth and W.A.S.P. all have in common? Well, apart from the obvious answer that they are all legends within the worldwide heavy metal/hard rock scene and are icons for many, they are also just a few of the bands whose song titles feature as lyrics for the song ‘Metalized’. A song that is highly infectious and features some of the best NWOBHM style riffage I’ve heard for some time. For those of us who either grew up during the eighties or are a massive eighties heavy metal fan, every featured song title lyric will be instantly recognisable…and big shame on you if there’s any you don’t recognise, tut, tut, tut, call yourself a metal head huh!

As for the rest of the album, it’s full of punch, beef, and heavy hitting metal/rock, jam packed with pounding riffs and thunderous rhythms. Maxxwell deliver some outstanding hard rocking party anthems, every single one catchy and sing a long able. Opening with the intense in your face belter ‘Hurricane’, Maxxwell set their stall out from the off. Power, purpose and pace, ‘Hurricane’ is a pulsating and throbbing sonic assault. ‘Back Again’ quickly follows, heavier hitting yet a little more melodic, your feet will be stomping hard to this one, as you sing the chorus at the top of your voice. An outstanding opening double shot just gets better with the up tempo and lively ‘P.U.T.V.’. Full of energy and bombast, ‘P.U.T.V.’ (standing for “pump up the volume”) is a kick ass, fast paced, hard rocking gem. The punchiness reaches an all time high with ‘She’s Mine’. Heavyweight boxers are known for their powerful punching ability, but even the best heavyweights cannot match the power of this one. Just where do Maxxwell get their heaviness from? Fuck knows, but they have an endless supply of it as the album moves on with ‘Scars’. Dipping into power ballad territory, ‘Scars’ is more mellow than anything else on offer, yet maintains the albums overall beefy stance.

And talking of beef, oh my fucking god, what a song ‘Monsterball’ is… Thunderous, pulsating and kicking harder than a UFC martial arts champion, ‘Monsterball’ is (literally) a monster of a song and is a definite favourite of mine on the album. Sing a long ability is one hundred percent, as it has been all through the album so far, and as ‘Burn’ lurches forward, there is no sign of it letting up either. ‘Burn’ brings a shuddering vibe to the album and is a mid tempo heavy stomper. The chorus is an anthemic chant style one, and in a live arena the entire crowd will all be shouting “burn” at the tops of their voices. With a more menacing vocal delivery, ‘Done With You’ is a much more darker song than what has gone before, yet maintains the albums overall catchiness and sing a long ability. ‘Given It All’ strides majestically along the border of power ballad territory, not quite crossing over it, but as near as you can possibly get. With twelve songs across forty seven minutes, Maxxwell have packed in plenty to entertain and thrill the listener, with the final two songs, two of the best on offer. The energy levels rocket skywards as ‘The Temple’ bursts into life, and is a rampant rampage of raucous riffs, with the most infectious sing a long style chorus. What must become a metal anthem brings the curtain down on an exhilarating listen…’Raise Your Fist’ is everything you could ever ask for in a rabble rousing anthem. With pace, power and energy in abundance, ‘Raise Your Fist’ is the heaviest song on offer and is a brilliant end to a brilliant album.

Overall, a beefy, heavy hitting slab of metal/rock, ‘Metalized’ is a rampaging monster of an album, stacked full of hard rocking and anthemic songs.

TRACKLIST

Hurricane
Back Again
P.U.T.V.
She’s Mine
Scars
Metalized
Monsterball
Burn
Done With You
Given It All
The Temple
Raise Your Fist

http://maxxwell.ch/
https://www.facebook.com/maxxwellswitzerland/

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