I just can't help it, but I can't shake the feeling that this band has not properly thought out the name they have chosen for their band. Or maybe they have and have used it as a way to slip the finger to the world. STALKER is a brand new Swedish Heavy Metal band that was formed in 2020 amidst all the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdowns going on around the world. The band plays old fashioned music with sounds that are very much 22^nd century. The combination is quite interesting.

First off, the band members. They are very experienced, as they have played with this likes of RISING FORCE, THERION, TREAT and BRIAN ROBERTSON. Does it show? Well, to be quite honest it doesn't. If anyone would ever like to write the book "Heavy Metal For Dummies" then they could use this album as a soundtrack. "Stalker" uses just about every cliché available as they can cram into the 36 minutes that this album takes from start to finish. To me that's not a problem if it only is applicable for the musical part. But it isn't, as the lyrics are almost childlike, avoiding any big words and sentences. One would suspect that the rudimentary knowledge of the English vocabulary is lacking substantially. I would have expected a great deal more coming from such a bunch of experienced musicians.

Even so, "Stalker"  isn't a bad album at all, as the Heavy Metal played is very easy to the ears, if you will, enticing. Every tune has that melody and groove that will draw you in, wake your interest, clean your ears of excess wax. The songs are captivating, even though the music is very basic. On top of that you have Dragan Stankovic, who clearly is an adept of YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, trying to stuff as many notes as possible into some of his solos. That he does have an ear to do right he shows in the instrumental songs "Shred" (which does what it says on the tin) and "Instrumental Jam". That's when he showcases the ability to keep it all coherent, providing us with two great songs.

You will hear Nu-Metal sounds mixed with Modern Metal ones, but always with the traditional Heavy metal values in the background. And whatever issues I have thrown up, it works. The music STALKER plays on "Stalker" doesn't sound shallow, has a certain degree of depth. It also is varied enough to keep one interested, and with a good solo guitarist playing along, that does help one along.