Brainstorm-Downburst

Metal Blade
2008

I actually never heard of Germany’s Brainstorm until recently yet they have been in existence for almost two decades. That’s a shame because they obviously have a great deal to offer. Downburst is fairly potent blending of power metal, classic style heavy metal and thrash to a lesser extent. They hammer at their songs with no hesitation and attack most of them with a flurry of riffs. Brainstorm does a good job of balancing between melodic and heavy. One of my biggest problems with power metal is that some band get too caught up in the flourish and pageantry part that they forget that it’s a metal album. Brainstorm never for one second let you forget that they are a metal band. The vocals are extremely solid with a huge range and a great deal of consistency. This band is not doing a whole lot new, but they are certainly proficient at what they do. A few songs tend to get a little too repetitive as I found my attention drifting here and there. Largely it’s a good album that I will be playing for a while.