I don’t doubt that this Italian band’s heart is in the right place, but it takes more than good intentions to create worthy metal. It takes good songwriting. The band claims to be doing classic pure metal in the vein of JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, HELLOWEEN, etc. but they are just not on that level. The songs here simply do not stay with you the way that tunes from those legendary bands do, and that makes their debut record a rather forgettable experience.
In the first half of the album, a certain PRIEST-ish tone is detectable. The plodding crunch of ACCEPT is also there. But the vocals of Valerio Caricchio, while pleasant, won’t give Rob Halford or Udo Dirkschneider any sleepless nights. By the second half of the album, SCREAMACHINE has settled down into a very HELLOWEEN influenced sound…in other words, very typical European power metal. The guitarists try their best to shred…at certain points – four ace Italian guitarists do guest work here – but the underlying songs are just average sounding. Some, like ‘52hz’ and ‘Silver Fever’, fade from your mind as soon as the last note has left. Others like ‘Darksteel’ and ‘Dancing With Shadows’ have a bit more heft, but ultimately, they’re not on par with classics like, say, ‘Restless And Wild’ or ‘I Want Out’.
For those who love anything resembling typical European power metal, this is maybe worth a pick up. But I remain a little disappointed, and looking for a bit more.
Review By: Dr. Abner Mality
SCREAMACHINE
ScreaMachine
Frontiers Records
2.5 / 6