If you've ever been to any or some of the European summer Metal fests you've definitely ran into these crazy Germans dressed in all-patch denims in a semi or full drunk mode and always willing to buy you a beer and sing along to the "ooo-ooo-ooooooo" part in a song's chorus at the time performed. Well, this is the image background to most of STORMHUNTER's music, the self-released CD by Balingen-based band herein reviewed.
STORMHUNTER is the result of the collaboration of members from various other heavy/power/fast Metal bands like STEEL TORMENTOR, DARK ASSAULT and BITTERNESS. Having already released an obscure demo in 2001, the quintet - having suffered a typhoon of lineup changes - seems to be currently reactivated in order to record a 36-minute piece of fast German Metal owing a lot to RUNNING WILD, (early) HALLOWEEN, GRAVE DIGGER, SACRED STEEL, CUSTARD, METAL INQUISITOR and STORMWARRIOR. The riffs are some times fast and take no prisoners while at other parts theyare more GUARDIAN-filtered, there are enough MAIDEN-isque leads feeding the Metal fire and the rhythm section is ample and pounding to the bone. The vocals of Frank could be amended here and there but I think the band's objective was what we here in this CD, anyway. Manifests of Metal faith are in the menu all the time and - if you're not an enemy of this 'true' Metal style - you'll have a nice time listening to the "Stormhunter" CD (multiply the pleasure if you're packing things heading to one of the previously mentioned fests).
The performance of the band in this album is very good and well-organized, leaving only a few negative things to comment upon. If STORMHUNTER's motive is the release of this CD and only then mission is accomplished (without RUNNING WILD around from as of now, we shall 100% enjoy such works anymore) and true metallians will feed their thirst belching to nailing numbers like "Hunting The Storm", "Darkness My Friend", "Bitter Fate" and "". Now, if Stefan (the band's founder) thinks of putting STORMHUNTER back on the map for good, this is a good step but surely needs extra work for some more personal songwriting from now on.
