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Force of Evil > Force of Evil > 2003, CD, Diamond Records > Reviews
Force of Evil - Force of Evil

Let's Hear It For Nostalgia! - 63%

pinpals, March 19th, 2006

Force of Evil is a classic metal band made up mostly of members of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond. Their self-titled debut was released in 2004 and can now be found on the internet at bargin-bin prices. What went wrong?

The album starts out with a short intro before merging into "Hell On Earth." This song has a fairly simple yet likeable speed riff which goes into an awesome breakdown in the middle. Then comes the trademark Hank Shermann shredding...oh yes, that was good. Certainly nothing wrong with this song, one of the best Shermann has written in the past ten years. "The Calling" isn't too bad either, but those two are the only worthwhile songs on the whole album.

Hank Shermann can't seem to be able to write those killer riffs anymore, which really kills the momentum of the album. Martin Steene is mediocre as a vocalist, he adds nothing to the record; no melodies or growls like one King Diamond was so good at doing. Perahps he just needs to find time to develop his own style, but as of right now he may be the weakest link in the band. Bjarne Holm and Hal Patino are only there for nostalgia purposes; they never had a unique style where a listener could instantly tell it was them playing, and here their drum and bass work could have been done by any session musicians.

Michael Denner continues his reign as one of the most overrated musicians in metal. It doesn't make sense how so many people rate Denner as being so great; he never was anything special shredding or riff-wise, yet never was able to come up with hooks that would brand him as a great melodic guitarist, as a Michael Amott or Adrian Smith. Shermann wrote all of the music on the early MF albums, so why does this guy get some much credit?! And on "Force of Evil" he does nothing that any competant guitarist couldn't play or write.

The production sucks as well. The double bass sounds like a wooden bat tapping a balloon, and the guitars aren't very heavy at all. Maybe they were trying to add to the already overwhelming nostalgia factor by trying to make it sound like it was released in the 80's, but they could have at least added some sonic textures or something to make it the least bit exciting. I fell asleep half of the first ten times I listened to the album. Now I've just given up and listen to "Hell on Earth" and "The Calling."

On the bright side, Hank Shermann can still play guitar like few others can. Unlike anyone else on this album, Shermann's playing style is instantly recognizable and each time he starts to shred I get an ecstatic feeling in my stomach. If maybe he had saturated the songs with solos the way he did on the Mercyful Fate albums maybe this album would have been more listenable, but there's usually only one solo section in the middle where Hank amazes and Denner bores. The lyrics are laughable too.

Perhaps the solution is for the guys to spend more time writing the album, as this one seems sort of rushed. With better production and riffs, more exciting drumming, and a better singer Force of Evil could maybe capture the vibe of Mercyful Fate. With MF being on hiatus, this is the closest thing you will get to a follow-up to "Dead Again" and "9," so if the negatives described above don't matter than it may be more enjoyable for you out there who can't get enough of Helloween and other similar bands.

Welcome back to Heavy Metal, mr. Denner! - 85%

Brat1983, March 1st, 2005

Not only is Michael Denner back in the world of Heavy Metal, but he's reunited with his old guitar team mate Hank Shermann. A thing that I consider great! :-) Those two belong together and though Shermann has released the excellent Mushroom Songs with Gutrix after Denner left Mercyful Fate in 1996, it's great to have them back together. No other couple in heavy metal know and support each other this well!

With them they have Hank's usual drummer, Bjarne Holm + King Diamond's bass player Hal Patino. The last in the line-up is young vocalist Martin Steene from Iron Fire.

I heard the first Iron Fire album in 2002 and I must say that Steene's voise didn't impress me that much, so my expectations to him in this band were rather low. Fortunately he proved my worries wrong :-)

After a short intro the album kicks off with Hell On Earth which a very cool and very heavy track. An absolute winner and a highlight of the album! (10/10)

Next track is Mindbreaker. Fast and heavy. Absolute headbanging delight! (9/10)

Eye of the Storm is slowing things down a bit yet it's heavy as fuck. Very catchy chorus and really nice riffing! (10/10)

With Misery Man, things are not quite up to par with many of the other songs. Still, it's heavy and cool enough to make me avoid skipping it. (7/10)

Now it's time for Samhain, and as the title implies it's evil as fuck. "Tonight my soul belongs to Lucifer and I will obey!" It's also a really heavy motherfucker. Really cool! (9/10)

The Calling is sort of the band's theme song, since the chorus goes "FORCE.... THE FORCE OF EVIL... THE CURSE... IT'S COMING YOUR WAY!" Really cool headbanging track. (10/10)

Fountain of Grace is a slow yet dead-heavy track that really makes your neck hurt. The chorus isn't the best I've heard, but the rest of the song makes up for it. (8/10)

Next up is Demonized which is a very regular heavy metal track. Nothing exceptional about it, but the riffing and soloplaying are kinda cool (7/10)

Under the Blade has got to be the weakest track on this record. It's not a bad one but it's not that good either. Average. (5/10)

The coolest track here is Eternity which closes the album in absolute superfashion! It has a really cool melody, cool solo, awesome lyrics... One of the best heavy metal songs of this century so far! (10/10)

As earlier stated, I was worried about Martin Steene's vocal after hearing him in Iron Fire, but his voice has really improved after he joined Force of Evil. He'll never reach the greatness of King Diamond, Ronnie Atkins or Michael Kiske, but he doesn't try to either. He has his own style and it's nice to hear a heavy metal singer that has a few limitations in his voice which he uses to his own advantage.

Michael Denner and Hank Shermann are absolutely wonderful together (as usual I might add...). This album just screams Bloody Murder with their great riffs, solo playing and song writing. Great to have them back together.

Bjarne Holm and Hal Patino have always been part of a competent rhythm section no matter who they have played with and they work very well together.

Some people would might find this kind of heavy metal to be very dated and something of the 80's, but all I can say is fuck you. This kind of metal/music is EXTREMELY enjoyable and it always brings a smile to my face to hear such high quality guitar riffing. If you don't like this, then go back to your Limp Shitkid stuff, 'cos these guys know what it's all about! :-)

I would have expected better .... - 45%

InnersoulDarkness666, July 6th, 2004

As i said....i would have expected better of the Mercyful Fate/King Diamond members. Hank Sherman and Mike Denner use to make pretty good music back in the day with King Diamond. What the heck is this stuff supposed to be? First of all, i wouldnt have chosen that Martin Steene guy as he tries to either sound like Frost of Seven Witches or perhaps he is trying to sound like King in a way?... Either way its not a very good attempt. His voice is kinda boring without much melody to really catch your attention. The riffs are mediocre at best. Something i would have expected more of from Sherman and Denner. The lyrics are too commercial to really have much meaning to them. I'll cut this short by saying this: Sherman and Denner have made some good choices in the past with their direction of their music, but this definatley isnt one of them. This band should remain a one album side project and nothing more.