If you're looking for a release that is straight-ahead power metal without a lot of peaks and valleys, look no further than the recent release from Kinrick. Guitar whiz Corbin King, vocalist Stephen Fredrick, drummer Sstian Kristoffersen, and bassist James Martin, create mildly interesting metal that fails to distinguish its material from other metal bands.

I want a metal band that has all the power of Kinrick, but I want more diversity. All of the songs were written by David Chastain and all fall between 4:02 and 4:51 in length of time. There's no track that is longer and allows the band members to stretch out musically with an extended guitar solo. Without any distinctive features, the material falls flat, one track blurring into the next.

Even the lyrics, which all speak in metaphors like "I am the fire burning" and "I know I fight alone" and "Stand Up And Fight" don't really relate to the listener and ultimately can't save this release. There's a cheesy' 80s feel, intended or not, when Fredrick sings, "Stand up and fight / you know you are right." This type of anthem has been done countless times by countless other bands and it's getting old. I'm thinking of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noize," both mindless anthems without a lot of thought in them. I have to believe that there is something more to metal than standing up and fighting.

Musically, there's the guitar work of King, which sounds impressive. There are a lot of fills and flash. Kristoffersen's drumbeats feature a lot of double bass work and flashy tom fills. Yet, there's a sameness to the guitar riffs and drums that nags at me as I listen to this release. I was disappointed in this release because the tracks failed to distinguish themselves from one another. This is 45 minutes of non-stop heavy metal. If you're in the mood for mindlessly jumping around, Kinrick is your ticket. I like my metal to be more stimulating than retreading metal anthems from the '80s.

Rating: C

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