Elm Street
Knock ‘Em Out...With A Metal Fist

Aussies with nasty nightmares are back with their second offering, an album that promises to be a metallic fist that knocks you down completely. Cool comic styled artwork makes this album look very interesting, kind of in the same vein as the artwork of the debut album that was released in 2011. On the topic of that debut album, it was pretty good but quite ordinary in style, didn’t quite stand out. Several years has gone since that album and perhaps they have found something of their own voice now.

It doesn’t strike you as a punch from a metal fist straight in the face, it is more standardised heavy metal with some traces of thrash metal making it a bit more powerful than some of their genre friends. Good vocals, strong production but it doesn’t really take them in any direction other than what we heard on the first album, it is more or less the same thing. We get a little more variation and better production than on the first album but they haven’t really evolved on any other measurement. I would have liked to hear them find something of an own voice but it is the same as before, and the album is quite long as well with 56 minutes of playing time – it isn’t quite varied enough to keep you focused on the music through the entire album.

I think though that it is a very good album with strong songs, good energy and it is simple enough to easily take to. But I also think that it is a bit too neutral and too anonymous to really stand out and be noticed, fans of heavy metal will probably enjoy this album a lot but they have to notice them first and that might be more difficult considering how much music that exist in the genre and how little this album really stand out in comparison with most in the genre. Although the cover artwork is noticeable so there is a chance.

I think that the opening track Face the Reaper is the song highlight on the album, maybe because it sets a good tone for the rest of the album and it is the first one we hear on the album but it is really good. I think that this is a very solid album but one that doesn’t really stand out enough to make any major impression.

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