Sometimes people in the Metal scene put themselves in a hard situation: listening to Metal is about to going into the future, exploring the new genres, or staying closed in the past? The answer is common: why do you need to stay on one side of this matter, when no one is asking it of you? You can enjoy both ways, you're free to do so (even with some boring guys creating 'rules' and 'models', so tell them to fuck themselves off). If you're able to be yourselves, you'll be able to enjoy "Firecry", the third album of the Canadian quartet CATEGORY VI at its fullest. The band focus its energies to create a form of traditional Heavy Metal (in the particular way of the Canadian Metal acts can do) with some melodic bits inherited of Power Metal (in the way it was done in the first half of the 80's).

Obviously this formula isn't new, but in the way the quartet works fills things with life and energy, as the melodies enables the band to create strategic hooks (as the choruses that are hard to forget once heard). But don't get the wrong idea: their music is filled with an excellent balance between the melodic side and the natural aggressiveness of the genre. The production worked with a simple idea in mind: to build a sound quality that could align a clear organic feeling (as those works of the 80's), but using modern techs to improve the comprehension of what's being expressed. Of course things worked in a very good way to fulfill the idea for the sonority, but it could be better (their musical work deserves it).

Musically, this Canadian pack of wolves really created a very good musical work, solid, and truly charming. And songs as "Firecry" (the mix of Heavy Metal and Power Metal elements was done in an excellent way, full of energy and life, but some touches of Hard Rock of the 70's are clear, and what lovely vocals), "Valkyrie" (a song with many 80's Metal influences, aligning a 'sabbathic' weight and dynamic melodies and arrangements, and the bass guitar and drums are creating a heavy sound wall on the rhythms), "She Runs With Wolves" (another very good Heavy/Power Metal song with tons of weight coming from the guitar riffs), "Coven" (the most aggressive song of the album, with a brutal heavy crush imposed by the rhythms, but be prepared by hooks on the chorus), "The Cradle Will Fall" (the shifts between introspective parts with heavier moments is a cliché that gains life in the quartet hands, and it's impossible to resist to this one), and their version for "Barracuda" (an old song of HEART that gained a new life and energy in the quartet's playing) will get the old fans and conquest some new ones.

CATEGORY VI really deserves applause for such an offering, so listen to "Firecry", enjoy and become a fan.