Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2025 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
CELEBRATING 18 YEARS!
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
May 2025
- Giant: Stand And Deliver
- Sign Of The Wolf: Sign Of The Wolf
- Harem Scarem: Chasing Euphoria
- Cosmic Cathedral: Deep Water
- Beholder: In the Temple of the Tyrant
- Art Nation: The Ascendance
- Laurenne/Louhimo: Falling Through Stars
- Rock Out: Let's Call It Rock N Roll
- The Flower Kings: Love
- Maestrick : Espresso Della Vita: Lunare
March 2025
- W.E.T.: Apex
- Alliance: Before Our Eyes
- Ginevra: Beyond Tomorrow
- Phil X & The Drills:
Pow! Right In The Kisser - IQ: Dominion
- Heart Line: Falling Heaven
- Gotthard: Stereo Crush
- Defender: Dying To Live
- Streetlight: Night Vision
February 2025
- Robin McAuley: Soulbound
- Perfect Plan: Heart Of A Lion
- Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
- Mantric Momentum: Alienized
- Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
- Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
- Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
- Dream Theater: Parasomnia
- Tyran: Tyran's Oath
- Saber: Lost In Flames
January 2025
- Wildness: Avenger
- The Ferrymen: Iron Will
- Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
- Bonfire: Higher Ground
- The Big Deal: Electrified
- Landfall: Wide Open Sky
December 2024
- After Lapse: Pathways
- Illusion Force: Halfana
- Powell-Payne: Voilá
Emerald: Unleashed
Emerald: Unleashed
Heavy/Power Metal
4.0/5.0
Website
Facebook
Pure Steel Records
by Craig Hartranft, 08.14.2012
In 2010, Swiss metal band Emerald was Re-Forged with a new line up, including a new vocalist. This year they're Unleashed with another long player of NWOBHM inspired heavy and power metal.
Emerald: looking quite metal-ish.
Unleashed is likely a case of 'If it ain't broke, then don't fix it.' Emerald's formula remains speedy power metal with pseudo-Halford high vocals and plenty of fiery twin lead guitar work. This time around the arrangements sound even more Maiden-esque than before, and the band tries hard to be a bit more technical. This is notable on A Past Never Born and Eye of the Serpent, but also on the shorter Blessed. Mostly, without losing the melodic undercurrent, Emerald sounds heavy, speedy, and even a bit thrashy, as on Face of Evil or F.T.M..
With a stable crew on board, Emerald is hitting their stride once more with Unleashed, a decent platter of European heavy and power metal. 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.
TweetIn Short
With a stable crew on board, Emerald is hitting their stride once more with Unleashed, a decent platter of European heavy and power metal.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
New & Notable
Three decades on and still going strong is the iconic progressive rock band, The Flower Kings, founded by veteran multi-instrumentalist and composer Roine Stolt. Since 1994, The Flower Kings have been known ... [ Read More ]