Going one better than Level 9, but not quite turning the dial to 11, the partnership of vocalist Russell Allen and Bassist/producer Mat Sinner form the new project Level 10.
Joining in is powerhouse guitarists Roland Grapow and Alex Beyrodt; Randy Black on drums and Alessandro Del Vecchio on keyboards (yes, him again!).
Mat Sinner doesn’t produce bad sounding records and Russell Allen doesn’t deliver substandard vocals, so there are two big ticks.
Songs is what it is all about. On this 12 track debut songs are provided by Sinner & Allen, Alessandro del Vecchio, Magnus Karlsson, Alex Beyrodt, Carsten Schulz, Sander Gommans & Amanda Somerville. Thing is, there’s no credits assigned to each track, so you have no idea who really wrote what.
The collection of names indicates that things could be quite varied on the album, and so it turns out to be. But apart from a few real highlights, while the album sounds great, I found most of the material lacked a real spark or hook to draw me back in.
The album opens with Cry No More - an absolute blinder of a song - a full metal blast with a great hook and some awesome vocals.
Unfortunately it’s followed by Soul Of A Warrior - possibly the worst track on the album - a near 6 minute plod fest that never seems to end and kills the momentum of the opening track.
When The Nighttime Comes picks things back up with an improved pace and better chorus hook.
But then once again, another plodder. One Way Street has a pretty forgettable chorus and not much life to it.
As if going back and forth between good and not, Blasphemy is a more hard hitting metal.
Last Man On Earth then follows the pattern, with a pretty drab and forgettable chorus while In For The Kill cranks things into high gear, even if only for 4 minutes.
Of the last 4 tracks, the metal ballad All Hope Is Gone stands out as an album highlight; Demonized a solid melodic metal track following straight after.
The others I don’t care for unfortunately.
A great looking project on paper and I expect there might be a sequel at some point – as the album title suggests, but the participants will need to ensure a more consistent group of songs to make a lasting impression in a crowded market.
