GUN BARREL
Power-Dive
Limb Music/SPV

Is this is '80s metal revisited or what? First we have Gun Barrel, who show influences from many of Europe's metal greats from two decades ago. Tracks such as "Bomb Attack" show signs of early Saxon, with vocals sounding similar to Biff Byford. Other tracks like the semi-power metal ballads "For All Like You" and "Gate Of God" show similarities to the old Danish hardrockers D.A.D. and the much underrated Dutch band Bodine, showing a strong Euro-blues rock influence. The production is a bit questionable at times (with poor edits throughout) but for the most part, it's pretty solid effort. The vocalist [his name is not mentioned anywhere on the bio or CD sleeve] gets a bit overbearing at times, but at other times he displays a rather unique, soulful voice. The problem is he's constantly singing flat, sounding like Blaze Bayley at his best. Good, strong rhythm section. "Only A Passenger" is a poor choice for their first single as the lyrics are totally lame, and it's not nearly as strong as the aforementioned tracks. "Back to Suicide," and the closing tracks "She's Coming Over Top" and "Take Me To The Highway," show signs of early AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, and Starfighters (remember them?). Although Gun Barrel may not be true originators, this CD certainly sounds refreshing alongside today's grind-core, grunge, and rap-metal. Power-dive brings back fond memories of (almost) everything that was "cool" about 80s metal.

WIZARD
Head Of The Deceiver
Limb Music/SPV

Wizard are one of Germany's finer power-metal bands. Typical and traditional metal anthems displaying hammering riffs, powerful vocal choruses , and majestic metallic themes is what Wizard is all about. From what I gather, this is actually the band's fourth album, and their experience and metal expertise surely shows. The musicianship is very good, and the songs are catchy, but ever-so cheesy. The production courtesy of Uwe Lulies is excellent, making this CD sound probably a helluva lot heavier than the band would come across live. Head Of The Deceiver shows many similarities of Priest, Saxon, Manowar, Savatage, and even some old Metallica, but there is nothing original or truly fascinating about this record. My fave trax include the speedy "Magic Potion," the ultra-heavy "Defenders Of Metal" [just smile and say "cheese"], "Calm Of The Storm," "Revenge," and the awesome title track. Definitely one for the true metal aficionado.