ALBUM REVIEW: Solar Flare – Solar Flare

Dungeons & Dragons inspired quintet SOLAR FLARE have forged their debut self-titled album to unleash upon the world. Hailing from Ohio, USA – they promise to deliver ground shattering bombardments of raw and pure heavy metal. Having warmed up the crowds before the likes of ANTHRAX and SONATA ARCTICA, they are no stranger to the stage but will their energetic enthusiasm transfer onto their debut album or will it see their furious charge swiftly turn into a desperate last stand?

Like a battering ram, Medieval bounces gallantly between metal in its most raw, old school form and lightning charged power. While it perhaps lacks the driving force of the bands they have shared the stage with, it comes together rather well and keeps you curious about what is to come. Clearly IRON MAIDEN inspired Under the Sun echoes distant signs of 80’s era British heavy metal but fails to grab the same attention it would if it had more memorable vocal structure.

That being said, for what it lacks it certainly makes up for with irresistible screeching guitars. Born to Run is a step up, ushering in headbang inducing rhythm that propelled the likes of ACCEPT without sounding too similar, it comes together like a wall of death. Classically trained Ethan Jackson bellows his grandiose voice, bringing traits from the styles of Blaze Bayley and Bruce Dickinson but not leaving too much room for his own identity, something he is surely capable of doing in future.

Pharaoh is a perfect example of this but focus is once again drawn to the twin guitar assault at the hands of Garian Perry and Mark Greene which tends to stand tall above all else. Nous Sommes is augmented by wailing guitars that will please old school fans and maintains solid structure throughout that drives forward with relentless power. Taken To The Other Side pursues the same musical rhetoric and is once again dominated by solos that steal the spotlight, the chorus tries to be anthemic but falls short of what it was meant to achieve.

SOLAR FLARE are without a doubt very talented musicians but it’s evident through this album that if they tried to create fist pumping anthems and tweaked the vocal structure to really push it out there they could achieve great things. They have everything they need but just lack that secret ingredient that will separate them from the countless other bands trying to be the next back to basics heavy metal outfit. Like the rest of this album, A World in my Head has the same pros and cons evident throughout all seven tracks and while this is not a bad thing – if the band want to really launch themselves into greater things it would be rewarding for them to use their undeniable talent to make choruses more memorable and melodic.

While it doesn’t go as far as to stand beside the early albums of bands like JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT or IRON MAIDEN this release still has a lot of energy, talent and power that with the right song-craft could propel this American quintet to the next level. The guitar solos are fresh and raw to the core, wails and pinched harmonics are staples of a good heavy metal diet and there is no shortage of that here. The vocals display admirable talent and potential without boundaries but at the moment lack that secret ingredient that gives the best metal vocalists such status and unadulterated force to control the emotion and drive of the song. Full of potential, passion and power this is a commendable debut by SOLAR FLARE and it will not disappoint fans of New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Rating: 6/10

Solar Flare is out now via self-release.

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