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"The Ferrymen's “Iron Will” is less lush than its predecessor. While not devoid of quality, it's far from a nugget..."
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3/5
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It's already three years since we left the Ferrymen with their excellent “One More River To Cross”. The Romero/Karlsson/Terrana trio are back at it again at the start of this year with their fourth opus, “Iron Will”. Will the Americans repeat their performance of 2022?
The new work retains the characteristics of its predecessor. The heavy/power metal adopted by the band is still the order of the day. Evoking a curious offspring of the union between the works of Dio and Primal Fear, it is sometimes adorned with hard rock volutes that soothe its words. Emphasis is omnipresent, epic is a religion: these are the hallmarks of the blond guitarist and the man with the expressive voice. The compositions exude cascades of theatrical flights of fancy, and the quest for melodic impact is the combo's obvious guide.
It's one thing to seek, it's quite another to entice the listener with force. The challenge is met on a good half of the tracks, only one of which can claim to be a hit. This is 'Choke Hold', a real fury of melodic power, a score that could feature in this year's top ten of the genre. It is followed by five tracks that more than live up to their billing. Mind Games' is one of them, with its melodic sinuosities in power-ballad mode and its big guitars softened by swirling keyboards, as is the eponymous composition with its soothing breaks reinforcing the parts hammered out by the Terrana phenomenon.
The other part of the work is less conquering. Although its components are not to be scorned, they struggle to make an impression. Darkest Storm' and 'Dust To Dust' are a succession of rehashed passages, pleasant in the moment, but hardly tempting to linger. As for 'Above It All' and 'Adrenaline', they offer little in the way of thrills, the linear melodic hook not working well enough. The album's phenomenal production and monumental guitar parts, present throughout, are unfortunately not enough to mask these annoying slumps.
Iron Will' therefore fails to repeat the performance of its perfect predecessor. The Ferrymen's latest offering is no more than a good melodic metal record. For the nugget, we'll have to wait until the release of the next opus. In any case, let's keep that hope in mind, because this trio of gala musicians is capable of lining up more fireworks on an album than those on offer here. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
 01. Choke Hold
02. Mother Unholy
03. Iron Will
04. Above It All
05. Adrenaline
06. Darkest Storm
07. Dreams And Destiny
08. Dust To Dust
09. The Darkness That Divides
10. Mind Games
11. You're The Joker
LINEUP:
Magnus Karlsson: Guitares / Basse / Claviers
Mike Terrana: Batterie
Ronald Romero: Chant
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(4) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
3.3/5 (3 view(s))
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STAFF:
3/5 (1 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH THE FERRYMEN
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"New Talc album out now !" |
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT THE FERRYMEN
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