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Is
there a band that sounds more Helloween than Helloween itself? Yes,
there is. The name is Freedom Call and they are German too. They
released three CD’s until now and a number of these songs can be
found on this live registration which was recorded in 2002 in
Germany. Singer Chris Bay and drummer Dan Zimmerman are the stewing
power behind this happy metal band. They wrote most of the songs.
What
about all these labelling these days? In the beginning Helloween was
speed metal, then happy metal and nowadays people use to call it
power metal. But it is a fact that ‘Live Invasion’ is filled with
high quality tracks that make the sun shine again. The vocals are
magnificent, guitars are heavy but sensitive and it is obvious that
the audience was having a ball.
‘We
Are One’ is just ‘I want out’ anno 2004. But any epic tendencies are
not allowed to miss. And we are served at our winks in ‘Freedom
Call’ and more extended tracks like ‘The Quest’ (this is sung
heroic, has a sensitive part and even heavy Metallica riffs), ‘Metal
Invasion’ (an absolute cracker!) and ‘Hymne To the Brave’. All songs
are skilful built around guitars, dripping keyboards and the
exciting vocals of Bay. The parallels with a football match are
clear. Only, there is no opposition here, all looks are fixed on one
point: Freedom Call.
The second CD contains the ‘Taragon’ EP with a well-done cover of
Ultravox’ ‘Dancing with Tears in my Eyes’. ‘Heart of the Brave’
opens with euphonious piano notes once more, soon dissolved in heavy
guitars. ‘Kingdom Come’ is a tardy one with acoustic guitars, epic
bombast in the choirs and a gracious guitar solo. But the finest of
it all is the ‘story version’ of ‘Tears of Taragon’. Certainly the
spoken centrepiece telling us about the decline of an empire,
attacked by the legions of the dark. An heroic theme of a fighting
population who were the victims of evil. This theme is as old as the
world itself, but Freedom Call has its own charms, hard to put down
in a few words, but they are contagious. Everything seems so natural
and expected, even the cover of Helloween’s ‘Dr. Stein’, but they do
it with conviction. It is a pleasure to listen to, that’s why this
album got a very positive judgement. |
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Chris
Bay: lead vocals, guitar
Cedric Dupont: guitar, backing vocals
Ilker Ersin: bass, backing vocals
Nils Neumann: keyboards
Dan Zimmermann: drums, backing vocals |
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The
Spell (1’00’’)
We are One (4’42’’)
Freedom Call (4’56’’)
Tears of Taragon (5’44’’)
The Quest (8’31’’)
Heart of the Rainbow (5’30’’)
The Eyes of the World (4’24’’)
Metal Invasion (7’11’’)
Land of Light (4’07’’)
Warriors (4’44’’)
Shine On (6’41’’)
Rise Up (4’18’’) |
Warriors of Light (4’09’’)
Dancing with Tears in my Eyes (3’52’’)
Heart of the Brave (5’16’’)
Kingdom Come (EP Version) (4’47’’)
Tears of Taragon (story version) (9’49’’)
Hiroshima (4’08’’) |
