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The long-running German power metal band Brainstorm has switched record labels. After a 2009 European release, Memorial Roots is now available in North America via AFM Records. Vocalist Andy B. Franck is also in Symphorce, who are expected to release their first album in three years sometime this year as well.

Memorial Roots treads the same path as previous Brainstorm releases. Songs such as “Forsake What I Believed” and “The Conjunction Of 7 Planets” are longer and more progressive.


They take a little longer to develop and showcase numerous tempos and intensities. “Shiver” is more straightforward, with a lot of hooks and a catchy chorus.

Brainstorm has plenty of melody, and the guitar work from Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric runs the gamut from showy solos to crunchy riffs. They are versatile players that are able to incorporate heaviness on songs like “Cross The Line” along with melodic and more mainstream tracks such as “Hailed Down Dreams.”

Franck is an excellent vocalist, and on Memorial Roots he uses his lower register quite a bit, which is sometimes subdued, other times more ominous. He also belts it out from time to time and shows the full power of his voice, like on “Ahimsa.” This is a solid CD with a lot of memorable songs, but there's some filler as well, which somewhat dilutes the impact.

(released January 12, 2010 on AFM Records)