ALBUM REVIEW: West To East Pt II: Space Ranger – A Hero For The World
International power metallers A HERO FOR THE WORLD have returned to the recording studio and are set to release their next album, West To East Pt. II: Space Ranger. It’s the band’s seventh full length studio record, coming a year after their previous album Winter Is Here (A Holiday Rock Opera Pt. 2), while the new album is the highly anticipated sequel to West To East Pt. I: Frontier Vigilante.
The new record begins with The Son of Ice And Fire, which from the very start gives that space feel to the record with the way the keyboards are set up and the orchestral vocal style within the opening seconds. The heavy elements come into it before too long and gives you that sensation of hurtling through the stars at light-speed, and sets the tone for the remainder of the record – a solid start to proceedings.
Following on from the opening track is Orville, which takes a rather different turn and focuses heavily on the keyboards from the very first seconds, and takes a slower approach in terms of the build-up and the tempo in general from start to finish is considerably less to the opening track. Despite that, frontman Jacob Kaasgaard does a very good job of showing the softer side of his vocal style.
There are 14 tracks on this album, and from start to finish each track tells the story of the hero throughout, so West To East Pt. II: Space Ranger isn’t really a record where to dip in and out of without missing key parts of the story, much like any good book. However, there are some tracks which as standalone numbers are key highlights of the album and really showcase the talent of A HERO FOR THE WORLD.
One of these tracks features in the middle of the record, The Avenger. With most power metal bands, there are at least one or two tracks which delve deeper into the heavy metal side of the genre, and this is definitely one of those. The bass is amplified to the max, the riffs shift another gear and all of a sudden the pace goes into overdrive, while the vocals of Kaasgaard also take a darker tone. Another song that really stands out from the others is Supernova, which again focuses more on the heavier elements of power metal, and is more haunting than any of the other tracks in the way the sound all comes together and it sends shivers down your spine as the song progresses.
On the whole then, West To East Pt. II: Space Ranger is a fairly solid record. There’s enough in it to cater for hardcore power metal fans as well as those who have a wider range of taste in the metal scene. Fans will be happy to finally have their sequel, and as a standalone album it works well. It is a good concept to go into the space side of power metal, as not many bands have done it before, but with the growing popularity of the genre and more bands rising to fame it might struggle to keep its head above water.
Rating: 7/10
West To East Pt II is out now via Jacob K Music.
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