Nosferatu [CD]

4.5 stars. The influences on this album are obvious. Iron Maiden is the primary influence on most of the songs with galloping bass lines and piercing/repeating lead guitar licks, but there are also many Blind Guardian moments with grand vocal choruses; but not to be ignored is the occasional Judas Priest vibe, such as on the song "Metal Monster" (not to mention the way the band prints their name on the album in classic Judas Priest style). The opening track, "Behind the Moon", would be right at home on Iron Maiden's album "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", while both "Crucified" and "Midnight Sun" sound as if they were stolen from the archives of early Blind Guardian. There are some tasteful guitar solos strewn throughout, but the main force here is lead vocalist Urban Breed, formerly of Tad Morose, who fearlessly elevates each song and in combination sets this Power Metal release among the best of the genre in recent memory. It isn't a flawless album, for sometimes their influences are worn on their collective sleeves, and occasionally the mixture comes off a bit strange, but overall this is a solid Power Metal album worth picking up. Fans of Urban Breed's dominating vocal talents should not pass this one up.

Although it would be too early to say yet, Bloodbound may quite possibly end up being the best newcomer of 2006. Formed by Swedish blood brothers Tomas Olsson on guitars and Fredrik Bergh on keys and bass, Bloodbound quickly became a complete band with the addition of talented drummer Oskar Belin and the unique vocalist Urban Breed, who recently departed Tad Morose after being with them for nearly a decade. Way back in 2000, when Tad Morose released their second album with Breed on vocals, Undead, I thought it was the first power metal disc in years that really excited me. It was totally new and fresh, not just for the band but the whole power metal genre. As years passed, Tad Morose continued to put out quality albums, but unfortunately they chose to to expand on the sound they'd created with Undead rather than exploring more adventurous areas.

Now, after all these years, there is another band, again with Urban Breed behind the mic. I am absolutely awe-struck by this guy's vocal performance on this album. His unmatched range, limitless power and unique tone are all perfectly united on Nosferatu and Breed does a killer job singing the songs mostly written by Bergh and Olsson. The duo exhibits intense songwriting ability on all eleven tracks, experimenting with elements of heavy metal, melodic metal and Euro power metal. It is hard to imagine anyone who likes these types of music being disappointed with Nosferatu. The arrangements are amazing, the guitar tone is rich and Bergh's bass sound is crushingly dense. Keyboards aren't too high in the mix, nor are they excessively used. But on songs like "Desdemonamelia", they play a vital role during the intro underpinning Bergh's masterful bass work. Fans of Breed era Tad Morose are going to drool when they hear this and the more traditional heavy metal anthem "Crucified", a song that moves from thrashy power metal to relentless speed riffing and classically inspired guitar soloing. Tomas Olsson also opts for somewhat classical sweep arpeggios on "Midnight Sun" before he makes a swift foray into a killer unison lead with Bergh and Belin. His playing is smooth and he has a crystal clear guitar tone that could be likened to Magnus Karlsson's work on the Allen/Lande project, and when he goes for the classical stuff with Breed laying down his amazing voice, I couldn't help but think what it would be like if Urban Breed were to sing on a future Yngwie Malmsteen disc. I believe it could work both ways as he would finally get the big recognition he deserves and Malmsteen would impress his long-time fans with a 'new' voice.

There are no fillers here, but the songs that impressed me the most are "Behind the Moon" and "Metal Monster" for the sheer beauty of their vocal melodies that are so catchy yet also heavy. The way Breed shifts from toned-down whispered vocals to soaring screams that drip with power is so uncannily Bruce Dickinson during the classic Maiden period it's jawdropping. Galloping riffs can also be heard on the opening number and both songs contain otherworldy vocal melodies that would make the crowds go crazy in a live setting. The title track "Nosferatu" deserves a special mention as well. Again its Maiden-inspired acoustic intro and booming guitar verses, sick soloing, and octopus drumming are terrific. The band's love for Helloween style Euro power metal is best noticed on "Fallen from Grace", marked by incessant double bass drums, multi-track guitar rhythms, and of course Breed's heart-stopping vocals, especially during the very end. I also love the aggression he displays on "Into the Dark", as it reminds me of his work on A Mended Rhyme, easily the most overlooked Tad Morose disc to date.

The production is amazing. Multi-textured and rich in clarity, everything is executed with finesse and utter perfection. If you heard Kamelot's The Black Halo last year and thought it was a real breath of fresh air, you must pick up Nosferatu immediately. Kudos goes to Mark Wilkinson who has done a very good artwork for the album, quite similar to his classic works with Maiden and Priest.

2006's Nosferatu is the debut album from Swedish melodic power metal band Bloodbound, a band I probably wouldn't have otherwise bothered with except for the fact that they featured vocalist Urban Breed. I was a huge fan of his work in Tad Morose, and tend to pick up anything he's singing on.

With Nosferatu, we're essentially hearing what Urban Breed would sound like fronting Iron Maiden, or at least an Iron Maiden cover band. Just about everything in Bloodbound's sound (at this stage in their career) comes from the Iron Maiden playbook. The galloping leads, the melodies, the song structures all remind me of Maiden, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. We already have dozens of power metal bands copying Helloween after all, and Bloodbound's Maiden worship actually sounds pretty darned good. Of course, it helps that they have one of the best vocalists in metal belting out these songs.

Original or not, Nosferatu is a catchy, hard-hitting melodic power metal album with some really good songs and an amazing vocal performance. I'd recommend it to Tad Morose fans of course, but it should also appeal to most fans of Iron Maiden-inspired melodic metal (especially Machine Men and Clairvoyants).

Edition Notes: The European version of Nosferatu (on AFM) features a pair of live bonus tracks.