SCREAM MAKER
“Land Of Fire”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Scream Maker are a heavy metal band from Poland formed in 2010, releasing four albums to date – ‘Livin’ In The Past’ (2014), ‘Back Against The World’ (2016), ‘BloodKing’, (2022, and later the same year reissued by Frontiers Music after the band signed to the label), and ‘Land Of Fire’ released in 2023…

…featuring eleven brand new songs with a bigger eighties feel than ever – Scream Maker returning the glorious sound of old school metal from a time when almost all bands were placed under the “heavy metal” banner, even bands such as Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Kiss. Boy, how times have changed! With over a decade performing as a band, Scream Maker have toured with the likes of Judas Priest, Megadeth, Onslaught, Primal Fear, and Saxon, gradually climbing the heavy metal hierarchy to become a major worldwide force. The bands new album kicks off with ‘Perpetual Burning’ – the only song out of the eleven on offer to exceed the five minute mark! Quickly into its stride, ‘Perpetual Burning’ is an energetic gallop of melodic heavy metal with an immense “foot on the monitor” feel and a highly sing a long-able chorus. The band have hooked every listener right from the off, not letting them go as the album powers on with the feisty ‘Can’t Stop The Rain’, featuring the iconic gallop of old school metal ala the metal masters Iron Maiden. Scream Maker have opened with a red hot one-two, scorching the earth to leave only burn marks in their wake!

Maintaining the incredibly melodious start, the band shift their soundscape a little closer to the hard rock genre, pounding the ground hard with ‘Everybody Needs Illusions’ emanating a huge party atmosphere. Yes readers, a metal band delivering the raucous and well happy party feel of arena rock! What a diverse range of songs the first three have been – kinda makes you wonder what direction the rest of the album will take! Well wonder no more, ‘Zombies’ making an alternative entrance into the fray, proceeding to adopt a heavy hitting mid tempo march, the classic sound of early eighties metal and rock rising high in the air. Scream Maker are a band that would fit right in during the decade of metal evolution – the eighties – even to the extent of being one of the leading evolutionaries! And injecting a massive amount of energy, the band power on with the hard hitting ‘A Nail In The Head’ (see what I did there), making every metalhead in the world rock their heads back and forth at a faster rate than at any other time on the album so far! The infectious level since ‘Land Of Fire’ began has been incredible, remaining sky high and very potent.

And still the energy level rises, Scream Maker galloping on with the traditional metaller ‘The Rider’, echoing everything great about the heavy metal style of music. A style of music that is arguably the greatest in the world. Ever! The band are on fire, setting light to every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in the world! Please note, no humans, hens, dogs or any other animals reside in any of the aforementioned buildings, therefore there’ll be no casualties! With most of the songs on offer clocking in at around the four minute mark, the album is fairly quick, flying by with a relentless intent – ‘Dark Side Of Mine’ a harder, heavier, and more meaner song than any other heard so far. Yet the band still maintain the phenomenal melodious streak running right through the heart of the album! And when you hear talk of a “driving anthem”, it’s usually taken from a rock album, but I reckon you won’t go too far wrong if you decide to take this metal album with you on your next driving holiday, ‘Land Of Fire’ packed to the rafters with driving anthems! And should your next holiday destination be somewhere out in space, then ‘Way To The Moon’ will be the perfect accompaniment – fast paced, sing a long-able and head bang-able to the max. And what a sight that’d be too – half a dozen astronauts all dressed in space suits moshing away to Scream Maker! And in a weightless environment too! How hilarious will that look!

Now come on Mathew, get a grip and return to the real world with the barnstorming title song ‘Land Of Fire’ – a glorious gallop of immensely melodic, traditional heavy metal. The best song on the album so far by the proverbial country mile, ‘Land Of Fire’ (the song) is exactly the prescription a doctor will issue should you have a lack of metal in your blood! Personally I don’t, but we all need to keep the level topped up don’t we? I do, on a daily basis! So come on Scream Maker, give me more metal! And (in the style of Yoda) more metal they do give me – in the mightily melodic shape of ‘See The Light’, a bombastic barrage of smile inducing heavy metal storming outta my speakers. ‘Land Of Fire’ (the album) began with a bang, and its been setting off incendiary devices ever since! The band only came onto my radar last year, making a huge impression – so I encourage you all to place the Polish five-piece on yours too! You won’t be disappointed. Bringing the album to a close, Scream Maker maintain the ‘Land Of Fire’s (the album) incredible melodious streak and immense intensity with ‘Below’ – a final flourish of highly infectious heavy metal to head bang to and raise your fists high in the air.

Overall, a sumptuous swagger of majestic heavy metal to please, ‘Land Of Fire’ is an absolute belter.

TRACKLIST

Perpetual Burning
Can’t Stop The Rain
Everybody Needs Illusions
Zombies
A Nail In The Head
The Rider
Dark Side Of Mine
Way To The Moon
Land Of Fire
See The Light
Below

https://screammaker.com/
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