Researching the band HIGH POWER to prepare myself for this review, I came across one common denominator within all the information I could find about the band, and that was that HIGH POWER was among the best heavy metal bands to come out of France during the 1970's and 1980's. That being said, the album "Les Violons De Satan", does not disappoint.

Released in 1986 as a follow up to the 1983 self-titled album, "High Power", and re-released in 2015 as a limited run of 500 CD's with additional demo bonus tracks by No Remorse Record, "Les Violons De Satan" acts as an epitaph to the band itself, showcasing to their fans what truly made them such a unique, promising act to follow. Songs such as "Hard Rock" and "Avocat" have an inexplicable energy that draws in the most rabid of fans to join in on singing along to the chorus, even if they don't understand the words they are screaming at the top of their lungs. While the lone ballad on the album, "Par Le Sang Et l'Acier", emotionally draws in the listener and holds them there until the song has finished. The titular track "Les Violons De Satan" is by far the best song on the album, incorporating harmonized vocals and guitar solos, a groove that changes several times within the song, and several instrumental sections displaying the prowess of the guitarists. The song changes several times throughout its duration, starting out as a pure 1980's metal display, evolving into an almost ballad like composure, moving into something that can only be described as the bastard love child of Mozart and heavy metal.

While the album in of itself is very enjoyable to sit and listen to, it is not without its faults. Being a "re-released, remastered edition" the quality of the recording leaves something to be desired. As well as the simplistic style of the drummer brings into question the competency of the drummer himself. His simplistic style seems to really hold back the rest of the band at times. Having an almost "punk" like vibe throughout a large portion of the album, the drums really did not fit in with the rest of music.

The band itself, although very unique, displays a similarity to several other large bands of the era, such as BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, ACCEPT, and at times, a little bit of LED ZEPPLIN, although I believe this to be less of an imitation and more a product of the 1980's metal scene itself.

In summary, if you are looking for a hard rocking, balls out metal album, you have found one here. Although it would be a nice bonus to be able to understand the lyrics, the album is still very much enjoyable to a listener who does not speak the French language. The technical prowess of most of the band and the intense, powerful vocals will suck you in and will not spit you out until the last song is through. Head over to No Remorse Records and get your copy of this limited edition re-release before they are gone.<