Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Pretty Maids
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2016
Length: 48:32
Rating: 4/5
The long-lived Danish rock »rascals« and eternal bad boys Pretty Maids, refreshed and seriously regenerated for the new era, as proven by a string of excellent studio releases, especially since the band’s rebirth when it joined Frontiers Records, have for quite a while been an interesting hybrid of heavy metal and hard rock. Production-wise they’re tuned up for modern times, and to that modern sound they add their trademark dose of ultra-melodic catchiness, culminating in peaks of pomp and bombast generated within instantly memorable choruses.
For the new album Pretty Maids once again kept longtime studio companion Jacob Hansen at the helm of production, and he has again shaped the sonic and atmospheric look of the band’s fifteenth studio album, no less. Its predecessor »Louder Than Ever« (2014) can hardly be counted as a proper studio album, since it’s really a mix of old songs re-recorded and brand-new tracks. »Kingmaker« brings no revolution in the band’s musical direction, which has been staked out for a long time and is by now practically essential to how they write new music. Pretty Maids simply can’t turn their backs on their fans. So »Kingmaker« is once again a record that follows the band’s proven winning formula, their recognizable songwriting recipe.
»Kingmaker« once again features Ronnie Atkins’ trademark raspy, throaty yet authoritative vocals and a fresh dose of striking guitar riffs full of true hard rock mischief and sin, the kind only guitarist Ken Hammer’s imagination can produce. Then there’s the thunderous, rock-solid rhythmic foundation of Rene Shades – Allan Tschicaja. Since Morten Sandager left Pretty Maids this February after ten years of service, the keyboards were played by Anubis Gate member Kim Olesen. They’re somewhat buried in the production this time, so the penetrating guitar riffs command absolute attention on the album, while Pretty Maids haven’t given up programmed sampling either, as over the band’s mature years it has become an important building block for strengthening their already familiar dark yet predatory atmosphere, shaping the moods of the songs.
With the exception of the unnecessary and utterly predictable ballad Last Beauty On Earth, »Kingmaker« is stuffed to the brim and tuned up with distorted decibels, with lyrics that are also socially critical, especially angry and aggressive! All in all, it feels like their heaviest album since »Motherland« (2013), and it really carries the energy of the new tracks from »Louder Than Ever« over into eleven new songs.
The album opens with the excellent, crushing When God Took A Day Off, and the title track keeps that initial uncompromising edge going beautifully. The third one, Face the World, predictably takes Pretty Maids back into melodic rock territory, and from there the record rides dynamically throughout on waves of genre-flirting between heavy metal and melodic rock. Drawing on experience and routine, the Atkins – Hammer duo serve the songs better than ever. With the new album Pretty Maids once again confirm an incredible knack for arranging and songwriting, and nothing can knock them off it. »Kingmaker« plays it safe with the proven recipe and the recognizable artistic ID card of the legendary Danish hard rockers, so longtime fans will once again welcome it with open arms.
Pretty Maids – Face the World (official video):
Lineup
Ronnie Atkins – vocals
Ken Hammer – guitar
Rene Shades – bass
Alan Tchicaja – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Kim Olesen – keyboards
Production
Jacob Hansen
Track list
1. When God Took A Day Off
2. Kingmaker
3. Face The World
4. Humanize Me
5. Last Beauty On Earth
6. Bull’s Eye
7. King Of The Right Here And Now
8. Heavens Little Devil
9. Civilized Monsters
10. Sickening
11. Was That What You Wanted
