Metal Allegiance - Fallen Heroes (EP Review)
METAL ALLEGIANCE – Fallen Heroes
OUT: August 12th , 2016
METAL ALLEGIANCE Line up:
Troy Sanders | vocals
Mark Osegueda | vocals
Alissa White-Gluz | vocals
Alex Skolnick | guitar
Mark Menghi | bass
Mike Portnoy | drums
METAL ALLEGIANCE online:
Metal Allegiance is more than a super group, it’s more a band of brothers (and sisters). A fine collection of the world’s best metal musicians getting together, jamming and making amazingly good music. Off the back of the brilliant debut self-titled LP comes their latest offering, Fallen Heroes. 2015/16 has been a bit shit for celebrity deaths with Lemmy, David Bowie and Glenn Frey joining the dearly departed and it’s these three fallen heroes who are the subject of this latest offering from Metal Allegiance.
The EP kicks off with Motörhead’s 'Iron Fist' along with 'Ace Of Spades', arguably one of the band’s most recognisable tunes. Who better to handle the vocal duties than Troy Sanders. The Mastodon vocalist absolutely nails it! Sander’s tone and phrasing is sublime. Paying homage to the late, great Lemmy without falling into the blatant imitation trap. Musically the trio of Alex Skolnick, Mark Menghi and Mike Portnoy play it straight down the line. Motörhead is hard and fast and that's just how Metal Allegiance play it.
David Bowie’s 'Suffragette City' is something completely different. Bowie wasn’t metal but the musical and stylistic chameleon inspired all of rock’n’roll. Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda takes the Bowie classic, grab it by the scruff of the neck and shove it right in your face. There's no use pretending this version is better than the original because it's not. Bowie was one of a kind and it's almost impossible to improve on his genius but this drum and guitar driven rendition is worth the price of the EP alone.
The final track of the EP, The Eagles’ 'Life In The Fast Lane', is out of left field for a bunch of metal heads, but there's only one thing to do to a song that isn't metal … make it so! Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy takes control of the microphone and does it more than justice. The emotion she brings to this track is surprising, almost like the song was written for her. Even if you aren’t a fan of The Eagles music this version may just change your mind.
Special mention must go to the drumming machine that is Mike Portnoy. His playing on this album is nothing short of incredible. He almost singlehandedly adds an extra dimension to each track, relentless pounding mixed with sublime fills. The fact his name is not mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Keith Moon, John Bonham or Neil Peart is a crime in itself.
I’m rating this EP 8 1/2 fallen heroes out of 10.
Fallen Heroes track listing:
- Iron Fist
- Suffragette City
- Life In The Fast Lane
