Grey Attack – ‘Afterworld’

(Metalapolis Records)

This is the official release of Grey Attack’s third album ‘Afterworld’ which was self-released last year in digital only formats. It now gets an official label release on physical media as well as digital. Grey Attack have a modern rock sound with touches that are reminiscent of traditional German heavy metal, most noticeable in some of the band’s strong melodic vocals lines on certain tracks.

I have to admit I struggled with this one, it has its moments but overall, I’m not overawed by it. Maybe it’s too modern for my tastes? Or perhaps too dark and melancholic? It’s probably a combination of a few things that don’t appeal to my personal preferences but essentially these songs don’t work for me and fail to capture my interest.

The overall theme of the album is very dark and heavy, massive guitar riffs full of metallic energy with occasionally strong vocal melodies. Grey Chavez’s voice has a gravelly edge which puts me in mind a little bit of David Reece at times. He certainly has a powerful vocal presence but his performances rarely stand out, I think a few stronger choruses which push a strong melodic edge would have showcased his voice more frequently and impressively.

The booming chunky guitar riffs are full of power and swagger and very stereotypical of these types of heavy modern rock bands. None of it stands out though really, it seems very run of the mill and never captivates. It is a lot more doom laden and dark toned than I would normally listen to so I might be been a tad overly critical of the guitar work. It’s just a little samey and theirs loads of acts out there pushing a very similar sound but in a more attention-grabbing way.

If you’re going to check this band out, I recommend sticking to the opening salvo of ‘Afterworld’, ‘Simple Life’ and ‘My Last Dance’ which is by far the best song on the album.

‘Afterworld’ starts strongly but after track four the album’s impact dips sharply and never recovers. Had this been an EP encompassing those first few tracks I would have praised the band and been way more positive in my evaluation of their music. I think this album is one mainly for their established fanbase and rock fans who like dark edged modern rock bands, but beyond that I find it a hard album to recommend.

4/10

Essential Track - 'My Last Dance'

Review by Woody