Twisted Rose – ‘Cherry Tales’

(7Hard)

Twisted Rose plays old school fist-pumping Metal which is immensely fun to rock out to. The band hail from Germany and there are strong influences that have me thinking their sound owes a lot to German Metal bands of the Eighties. Having said that though the songs keep evoking memories of Phantom Blue, who are American, and although I could throw a band like Warlock out there as a comparison, I think Phantom Blue would be closer in tone and feel.

‘Cherry Tales’ is wall to wall head banging eighties inspired metal full of rebellious attitude and shout along choruses. Chris Bone’s guitars shred metallic riffs all sharp edges and high pitch licks which fill the album with power and energy. There are elements of Punk in the mix which gravitates me towards similarities with Billy Idol’s very melodic punk sound.

While the album is thrilling and energising, I do find the thing that makes Twisted Rose stand out to me and makes me more interested is lead singer Caro. Her voice and performance definitely hit all the right notes with me and definitely capture my attention. Sometimes she has a little snarl when the songs require, especially on the more rebellious tracks. Caro is quite versatile in her vocal delivery which helps the band show other sides to their sound. Her voice can differ depending on the desired impact they want for each song from rebellious snarl to smoother warmth for emotive songs. I adore what she does on this album!

These songs feel like they were written specifically with the live arena in mind as after a few spins I kept feeling that these songs will reach maximum impact when performed live to a hungry audience. A lot of the songs have fist pumping moments and elements clearly designed to get crowds involved and dancing!

Tracks to check out which show Twisted Rose at their best include the crowd pleaser ‘Say Hello’ and fist-pumper ‘Greed4Speed’ with its rebellious attitude dripping vocals.

‘Cherry Tales’ may not be anything new or groundbreaking but it is an undeniable fun time old school metal album which really entertains and excites. I suspect had this album been released in the lates Eighties it would have been immensely popular. There are a couple of songs which don’t quite hit home with me, but on the whole its superb album which should make Metalheads very happy!

8/10

Essential Track - 'Say Hello'

Review by Woody