Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Minotauro
Label: 7Hard
Release: 2017
Runtime: 44:43
Rating: 4/5
Time ticks on relentlessly. Not even four full years have gone by, and symphonic power metallers Minotauro are back on the scene with a new album. The sextet keeps its international character, bringing together musicians from Slovenia, Italy and Croatia. “Apocaylptic Sense” is the band’s new and second album overall, from a lineup of seasoned musical tomcats, and it picks up the story from where the quality debut »Master of the Sea« (2013) left off. A new evolutionary step forward!
Just like its predecessor, »Apocalyptic Sense« serves up nine tracks, and the band decided to cover the cult Uriah Heep hit Easy Livin’, which gets a proper symph-metal rhapsody treatment in a fresh arrangement. A really interesting, successful and fun version that I hope Mick Box and the rest of the Uriah Heep gang got to hear.
Let’s get to the heart of the album, the newly written original material. Judging by what it offers, it’s not hard to conclude that it brings quite a few new things compared to the debut. The first thing that jumps out at your ear is Rudy Berginc’s upgraded vocal performance, as he’s clearly developing into a top-class singer. On the new album he puts way more power into his vocal lines and conquers extreme vocal heights with incredible confidence, carrying that full vocal power from register to register without a hitch. More than once his voice pulls toward some kind of combination of Sammett – Dickinson – Žanil Tataj. In short: clean, authoritative, and with a punchy delivery of power across every register he tackles. A bravura performance from Breginc, then, who has taken a big step up in quality, even though he’d already pointed to his great singing gift and talent on the debut.
Minotauro have trimmed the arrangements a bit for the new album. The orchestral inserts in particular are noticeably shorter, which in turn puts the development of metal punch and aggression front and center, since the guitar phrases are now much more exposed. So »Apocalyptic Sense« feels harder, more possessed, and brings more crushing force and in-your-face directness, with riffs mercilessly riding the relentless rolling of a double bass drum stampede! This time the guitar phrases slap you in the face even more directly. A bit less fussing around, then, and a quicker route to the point. The band has delivered a higher level of compactness in the compositions, though the songs are still more than welcomely and effectively varied with extra passages and rhythm changes. Once again the band dresses up the guitar phrases with orchestral elements. It feels like a whole symphony orchestra is playing alongside them. Already on the debut, though, Minotauro made it clear that when it comes to decorating riffs with symphonic elements, sugar isn’t getting in the door! The songs grab you dark, uncompromising, ominous, and the orchestral arrangements are led along beside the riffs the same way. In harmony with the album title. Apocalyptic and doomed.
On top of that, the two guitars make use of triad harmonies, which, combined with the lead vocal melodies, keeps the inspiration from Iron Maiden alive, even though the production carries a Teutonic German swing, with the famous German sound engineer Achim Köhler playing an important part. With all that said, one thing matters most. The compositions are conscientiously detailed, and the band approached creating them with great dedication. In that, the sextet comes across as even more coherent and tight than on the predecessor. Minotauro instinctively follow an innate feel for the optimal showcase of infectious ultra-melodic aesthetics. They market it at its best through carefully crafted lead motifs and especially the chorus melodies, where pomp and bombast get to make the most of the moment.
The compositions are so evenly matched in quality that it’s hard to find a personal favorite, but it’s great to realize that Minotauro know nothing but fifth gear. Uncompromising assault. And of course, a sinister atmosphere. Hand in hand! All Seeing Eye develops especially nicely, the title track also commands attention on the album, and the catchy album opener Landless Soldiers is the one that lodges in your ear first, but it’s up to you to pick your own favorites, because as said, the songs don’t waver in quality from one to the next in any way. The merciless Braindigger is especially deadly catchy. All in all! An album that cements the band’s name on the scene. What Minotauro need right now is for one of the established bands, especially ones that have set fire to German soil, to take them on tour as the opening act.
Lineup
Rudy Berginc – vocals
Nik Smajlagic – guitar
Roko Smajlagic – guitar
Ales Lavric – keyboards
Enos Zuliani – bass guitar
Emanuele Petrucci – drums
Production
Minotauro
Track list
01. Landless Soldiers
02. Fields Of Symphobia
03. Seven
04. All Seeing Eye
05. Braindigger
06. Apocalyptic Sense
07. Son Of A Witch
08. Graveyard Symphony
09. Easy Livin`
