Being an ultimate die-fan has its limitations, especially when you can't recreate the admiration that you share into something feasible due to lack of ability or knowledge how to do it. Nonetheless, when you have those abilities at your side, in most cases it is bound to produce something that is closer to majestic than a pile of rubbish. For almost a decade, the Swedish true Metalhead and multi-instrumentalist, Cederick Forsberg, has been chief behind studio acts as ROCKA ROLLAS, CLOVEN ALTAR, BREITENHOLD, MORTYR and also BLAZON STONE. In time ROCKA ROLLAS became a full time band, but lately due to health reasons considering his voice, Forsberg decided to put that one to rest. With BLAZON STONE, Forsberg released three albums, with this current "War Of The Roses", via Stormspell Records, as his latest effort. So where is the connection to being a die-hard fan you probably ask? Just tune in to what comes next and you will see.

Since its foundation, BLAZON STONE, which old school Metalheads might recognize the origin of the title in an instant, is Forsberg's perspective of the German Heavy / Speed Metal juggernaut RUNNING WILD. Maintaining the same musical qualities that made the German band so great and compelling, for example the energetic fast tremolo picking melodies, enchanting themes of belief, warfare and piracy, and of course the Rock N' Rolf Kasparek style vocals, a voice pattern that will never cease to be.

Though I missed to write about the previous "No Sign Of Glory", I did review the debut "Return To Port Royal" and was fortunate enough to witness the utmost musical prowess Forsberg's abilities. The qualities that have been an integral part of BLAZON STONE since their debut, also rested upon the newly releases "War Of The Roses". Talk about keeping it working like a machine. The recruitment of Erik Forsberg to take on the vocals, in exchange to the previous Georgi Peychev, which I caught a glimpse of his singing in the previous album, actually did well for this running project. I believe that Forsberg is the closest in pattern to the original German giant, being no less than his younger version.

"War Of The Roses", in comparison to the late 80s inductions of the debut album, may be considered as a great tribute to RUNNING WILD's early to mid-90s era. When it comes to melodies, this may be the project's most diverse and impressive contribution to date. The songs are like a gushing waterfall, firing from all cylinders, one by one. Though there is a strong contrast with material made by the German band, BLAZON STONE is once again able to find its own place by mounting superb tunes such as "Mask Of Gold", "By Hook Or By Crook", wonderful, and almost Folkish, installments as "Lusitania", an anthem in the image of "Soldier Blue" and as institutionalized by the Germans, a classy epos, which this time bearing the album's title.

Sure that this band project might be recognized as clone, yet you can't fight the eagerness and the professionalism behind each of the tunes presented. The sound and approach might be similar, yet slowly BLAZON STONE is finding its direction to become a bit out of the ordinary in the RUNNING WILD universe, covering grounds that the Germans never explored in depth.