Il portale della musica Heavy Metal

recensione

Eight years have passed since ”Reverence”, the debut record of Merging Flare, band coming from the small city of Kajaani in the heart of Finland. Partly this was likely due to the busy schedule of their members, if we consider for instance the parenthesis with U.D.O. and the current engagement in Beast In Black of the guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen, but nonetheless the new album takes us straight from where the band left off almost a decade ago. The distinctive sound of this four-piece is still there, and so are their influences, strongly rooted especially into the German Heavy/Power Metal scene from the eighties (Gamma Ray, Accept, Helloween).

“Revolt Regime” starts strong and fast with the rhythm of “Trailblazers”, and its galloping guitars carry us at full speed into a clear nod to Accept, namely “Alliance In Defiance”, a more solid track that displays even more the versatility of the singer Matias Palm. I can just imagine how much fun it must have been to record the vocals on this record (mixed by Mattes Pfeiffer and produced by Stefan Kaufmann).
As we get to “Clarion Call” (which gives a wink to Primal Fear, among the other influences), the energy from the band becomes almost infectious. The following “The Abyss Of Time” has the word “anthem” written all over, and is a candidate as one of the highlights of this album, whereas “Mind’s Eye (Reaching Out)” results in a more “Kai Hansen”-like track, heavy, filled with strong melodic guitar riffs and and catchy choruses. It’s precisely the alternation of these more melodic parts intertwined with an heavier, more aggressive sound which characterises for most part also the next “War Within”. We continue with “Midwinter Magic”, a song that perhaps embodies better than any other where the bands come from, giving more of a Scandinavian vibe among all the teutonic influences, while “Sin Against The Sinner” represents one last nod to Gamma Ray.

Overall this record tend to bring us back to a time when the aforementioned influences were driving the Metal scene, and the guys certainly do not hide that this is what they grew up with. However, without reinventing the wheel, the band manages to establish its identity - well on track from what we could hear in their first album. The result is still fresh and dynamic, keeping at the same time the album well-balanced, so that sooner than he knows, the listener is already at the final Laura Branigan cover, “The Lucky One”. An interesting choice that gives the band - and especially the singer - an opportunity to experiment out of the comfort zone.
To all the fans of the genre, I recommend to give a spin to this record because maybe Merging Flare will not rock your socks off, but the guys sure know how to set a good party mood - Eighties style!

Recensione di Marco Manzi

tracklist

1. Trailblazers
2. Alliance In Defiance
3. Clarion Call
4. The Abyss Of Time
5. Mind’s Eye (Reaching Out)
6. War Within
7. Midwinter Magic
8. Devastator
9. Sin Against The Sinner
10. The Lucky One (L. Branigan Cover)