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Soulhealer: The Kings of Bullet Alley

Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal

4.5/5.0

Independent/Unsigned
Website Facebook Twitter MySpace
by Craig Hartranft,  10.31.2011

I really like this band. Hailing from Finland, Soulhealer debuts their first full length title, The Kings of Bullet Alley. It's a tour-de-force of melodic heavy metal, echoing the best of this classic genre.

Above, Soulhealer: lighten up boys and smile, the album is quite good.

From the gate you'll catch this feeling. Though not the best cut on the album, the opener Kings of Bullet Alley proves Soulhealer gets it. The song is a heavy rumbling number with melody and hooks. This combination of hook and melody invades most every song, whether by lyrics, vocal arrangement, or harmonious guitar structure, making them click with entertaining fury. Notable are Nightfall, My Last Day, and the properly vigorous Heading for Tomorrow.

Yet for simple heavy metal intensity, Soulhealer can bristle as on Wheels of Fire or Blind Faith (great bass line within). To spice the stew some more, Soulhealer offers a formidable rhythm section and peppers every song with lavish amounts of fret work. Jori Karki vocals has a clean style with a whiskey chaser, and fits well with music. He reminds of Joakim Broden (Sabaton) with touch of Lemmy (Motorhead). And he can actually sing on a lighter piece, over acoustic guitar, The Real Me. (It's the closest thing to a ballad.)

Perhaps a small drawback is that some songs felt unnecessarily long such as Wheels of Fire, Zoned Out, and Blind Faith. It seemed the band was simply grinding out some more to fill up time. But, conversely, Blind Faith has a boatload of nice guitar solos that makes the extra time bearable.

Overall, for the classic melodic heavy rock and metal style, I was rather impressed with Soulhealer and The Kings of Bullet Alley. Quite recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Well-grounded in the classic genre, on The Kings of Bullet Alley, Finland's Soulhealer offers a vigorous platter of melodic heavy rock and metal.

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