Mob Rules – Beast Reborn (Steamhammer release date 24 August 2018)

The German power metal band celebrate their 25th anniversary next year, and are gearing up for their quarter century with this magnificent new album. Formed by guitarist Matthias Mineur and singer Klaus Dirks in Wilhelmshavenin 1994, it was a few years until their debut appeared. But the late 90s and early 00s did see a resurgence in classic power metal, a wave Mob Rules have been riding high on since.

This six piece have taken their influences from classic Power Metal, and before that classic British metal, so there are nods to mid 80s Iron Maiden, and the band tour just as hard too.

From the outset, the build of the title track, the clarity and power are immense; the neoclassical build leads into Ghost Of A chance nicely. Suddenly it’s 1985 all over again; the vocal and guitar harmonies are fantastic, while the keyboards add depth. At times the drum sound is a little thin but there’s enough fullness to the overall sound to more than make up for that.

The keyboards add to the twin guitar well, and this works when the pace is varied mid-song, such as in Shores Ahead. Here the keyboards add effects and atmosphere more than their own harmonies. One of several songs to feature a bar or two of acoustic guitar too.

The music is as energetic as the live shows, you can hear the passion. And there’s some pretty hot guitar solos, especially in the almost progressive War Of Currents, which runs to over 8 minutes.

My Sobriety Mind closes with a piano intro, a powerful ballad for over 3 minutes before the guitars take over. Very moving.

Very enjoyable, a little derivative at times but energetic atmospheric and melodic power metal at it best.  8/10

Joe Geesin

Line-up

Klaus Dirks (vocals)

Matthias Mineur (guitar)

Sven Lüdge (guitar)

Markus Brinkmann (bass)

Nikolas Fritz (drums)

Jan Christian Halfbrodt (Keyboard)

Track list

Beast Reborn

Ghost Of A Chance

Shores Ahead

Sinister Light

Traveller In Time

Children’s Crusade

War Of Currents

The Explorer

Revenant Of The Sea

Wy Back Home

My Sobriety Mind