Traumer
The Great Metal Storm

Titles like The Great Metal Storm always turns on my sceptical and critical attitude, because they are generally quite generic and filled with dull clichés. Of course there are always exceptions to a rule and I wouldn’t dismiss an album that was sent to me by a record label. Traumer is a Brazilian band and this is their debut album, and if you are remembering that I reviewed an album by this band less than a year ago I can explain that this album was recorded in 2013 and first released in 2014. This is the first time this album sees the light of day in Europe as it has only been released in America and Japan before. The Japanese release was very successful according to the press sheet that claims that it did well in Japanese rock and metal charts.

Do you know the similar bands, or Brazilian power metal? If you do you can use that knowledge as a reference for how this album sounds, it can hardly be described as very original. They play on clichés like the obligatory instrumental opener, the cliché ridden catchy songs and metal stuff and things. The production isn’t very original either, it sounds modern but offers nothing that hasn’t been done to death already. And the songs are the same, not very original; the same can be said of the vocalist who sounds a bit like a cliché as well. Not that I am all against cliché rock music but it doesn’t really make for an interesting new acquaintance, does it? And that is part of their problem but also a part of their strength because power metal fans don’t care much for originality and they will like this album.

Traumer presses the right buttons, walk the most commonly walked paths and the end result is an album that feels a tad unoriginal. I wouldn’t describe this as an album that makes me stop and take notice. Nevertheless, the album is quite good, the songs are quite good and it is a decent piece of music to listen to. The album is on the long side and think they could have done away with a couple of tracks, like the two acoustic bonus tracks that doesn’t add anything to the album. It is an album that doesn’t really grab my attention, and I usually find myself not really listening to the music while it passes by unnoticed.

In the end I find that this album works and you can listen to it. But I wouldn’t describe it as anything particularly memorable, it is a good album that one listens to a while and then put away in a shelf or something – probably permanently. I think these guys will have to start exploring new paths through the power metal, otherwise they will probably be as forgotten as the very large number of unremarkable bands we have reviewed on this site over the years. If it is a great metal storm depends very much on your outlook, if you like power metal chances are that you think it is a great metal storm – if not it is probably best forgotten. I could end with saying that this is a fine power metal storm.

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