EMERALD
“RESTLESS SOULS”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Emerald are a heavy metal band from Switzerland forming in 1995, releasing their debut album in 1999. Six more albums were released over the next eighteen years, with a change of singer occurring in 2014. Emerald are veterans of the European metal scene, and celebrate their twenty year anniversary as a recording outfit with the release of their eighth album ‘Restless Souls’.

A consistent band for over twenty years, Emerald never fail to deliver. And with their new album hitting the airways at full tilt with bombastic opener ‘Freakshow’, Emerald are set to maintain their position as one of Europe’s finest heavy metal bands. ‘Freakshow’ is catchy and infectious, has a sing a long style chorus and is high quality European styled power metal. ‘Valley Of Death’ adds a much more melodic feel to the album as it strides on at a swashbuckling mid tempo pace. More infectious than the opening song, ‘Valley Of Death’ is more hard rock than heavy metal. However, third song ‘Digital Slavery’ stands proudly in the heavy metal genre as it gallops on at pace, planting one foot firmly on the monitor. Raising fists high and punching the air in delight, fans all around the world are gonna love ‘Digital Slavery’ for all the right reasons. Atmospheric and epic melodic heavy metal takes front and centre with ‘Son Of Sam’, a foot stomping mid to high tempo energetic romp of buzz sounding guitars, reminiscent of the sound of the iconic NWOBHM evolution. A one hundred percent sing a long chorus and ‘Son Of Sam’ is surely gonna be a crowd favourite sing a long in a live arena…

Emerald are most definitely delivering the goods with their eighth studio offering, and with no let up in either catchiness or infectiousness, the album thunders on with the highly energised ‘My Final Stand’. Picking up pace across the chorus break, ‘My Final Stand’ stands with one foot in the power metal genre and the other in the speed metal genre. Cracking versatility from one of the longer serving metal bands. ‘The Wicked Force’ steps up a gear and is a violent thunderstorm of raucous riffing and scorching pace. Both feet now firmly planted in the speed metal genre, ‘The Wicked Force’ is a powerful speedster that will invoke vigorous head banging by fans all around the world. ‘Cad Goddeu’ is the longest song on offer, stretching past the six minute mark, and stands proudly in both the glory and epic genres of heavy metal. A majestic mid tempo march of a song, ‘Cad Goddeu’ features nuances from the power, the symphonic, the heavy metal and the hard rock genres. Brilliance from a brilliant band.

Title song ‘Restless Soul’ is another up tempo, energetic and infectious romp of head bang able rhythms. Add in yet another sing a long style chorus and Emerald have found a winning formula when it comes to knowing how to please and delight the palette of the heavy metal fan. I salute you Emerald. Now when it comes to modern day power metal albums, there is normally a ballad included as standard, and ‘Restless Souls’ doesn’t fail this normality. So raise your lighters high in the air and sway from side to side as ‘Set Me Free’ swaggers in to view and oozes passion as it ambles on by. Raising the levels of emotion to an abnormally high level, ‘Set Me Free’ is a great power ballad and will tug gently at your heart strings. With the album heading towards an end, the best song on offer, the most catchy, the most sing a long able, hitting hard like a wrecking ball in full flight. ‘Superhero’ is an awesome romp that will get you nodding your head, tapping your feet and singing at the top of your voice “I wish I could be a superhero”. ‘Heaven Falls Down’ brings the curtain down on the album in blistering style. The fastest song the album has to offer, ‘Heaven Falls Down’ approaches the sound barrier as it steams ahead at high velocity.

Overall, a bombastic, infectious and catchy album from veterans of the European heavy metal scene, ‘Restless Souls’ is filled to the brim with metal/rock gems.

TRACKLIST

Freakshow
Valley Of Death
Digital Slavery
Son Of Sam
My Final Stand
The Wicked Force
Cad Goddeu
Restless Soul
Set Me Free
Superhero
Heaven Falls Down

https://www.emerald.ch
https://www.facebook.com/emeraldmetal/

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