Active since 2011, Polish Heavy Metal act SCREAM MAKER brings my brain and ears back to the early to mid-1980's through this 12 track album "Livin' in the Past". The quintet know how to keep their performances and songwriting very lean and mean, adding in some smoldering lead breaks that excite the crowds and feature high octane melodic vocals in line with DIO, RIOT, or even STRYPER.

If you desire the rebel rousing pedal to the metal anthems, look no further than "Glory for the Fools" as Sebastian exhorts every high octave scream and note holding tendency in the True Metal 101 textbook as the chord structures and lead break re-emphasize the fiery, cultural nature that should get crowds chanting along. Musically SCREAM MAKER have a strong affinity for JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, and the spawn of those veterans- although there is a little bit of L.A. Hard Rock knowledge and skill set applied to say the title track, a more emotional, moody arrangement that has a DOKKEN/ W.A.S.P. flavor during the passionate chorus.

Favorites include the mid-tempo churner "All My Life" that could have been an arena rock favorite back in those vibrant times and the 6:49 power ballad "Stand Together" which features a lead break that would make fans of Gary Moore and George Lynch equally proud. Alessandro Del Vecchio as producer is a smart choice for the band, as his superior recording skills and ability to capture the right feel/ tone for "Livin' in the Past" places this album much higher than other newcomers.

A great marriage of a traditional heavy metal and a clear, crisp sound due to modern technology, SCREAM MAKER could be one of those hidden gem albums for 2014, and proves that along with CRYSTAL VIPER and TURBO that Poland has a pretty killer metal scene these days.