Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Boomerang - Balance Of Hate - 2005 - Trance Music

Track Listing1. Amplify 2. Suffocated Cries 3. Undiscovered Country 4. TCO II (The Immortal) 5. Silence Cries 6. Balance Of Hate 7. The Hand That Signed The Paper 8. Betwixt The Temples 9. Mind Odyssey 10. Praise The Loud

It has been years since I've seen anything released by Trance Music, dating back to the two solid Late Nite Romeo albums of the 90s. Now Trance Music presents Boomerang, and their debut record "Balance Of Hate". It has taken me some time to compile my thoughts on this record, simply because the album is rather complicated at times. It's not an easy album to digest, with much of the material taking on different angles every single time you play it. I've caught myself plenty of times picking up a vocal arrangement that I didn't catch before. With a band name like Boomerang the music could go come and go, and that is exactly what it does on this first time effort from the group.

Unfortunately the official Boomerang site is not in English at the moment so I have no way of knowing the history of the band or it's members. "Balance Of Hate" is really a straight forward German power metal entry first and foremost. To the casual listener they will hear that above all other things, but for the experienced metal listener things can get deeper, with a lot of other strategies in place. This album has a lot of different layers, with things that work well at times. The production on the album is by far the biggest limitation, keeping everything pretty much muddy and "fuzzy". Unfortunately the band or the label just simply doesn't have the proper funds to give this release the adequate sound scope that it deserves. But working with what they have the problems can be overlooked.

Of the positive things on this record, Boomerang's vocalist holds the top notch. This guy can sound identical to Savatage's Jon Oliva, however for the most part he concentrates on Doctor Butcher era Oliva, keeping that vicious, manical tone to his vocals. On cuts like "Praise The Loud" and "Amplify" he comes off as a cross between Jon Oliva and Venom's Cronos, an interesting combination that really works well. Musically the group are a jack of all trades, sometimes running the power metal race like Blind Guardian or Elwing, and at other times sounding like power-thrash. The patterns are rather complex, with many different vocal arrangements established within each song. With "Betwixt The Temples" the vocals run into layers, doing the same sort of thing as Blind Guardian and Persuader. On other songs like "Suffocated Cries" the vocals and music are a perfect match, blending the vocalist's power ability with the thrash undertone of bands like Wardog. The group does run into slower pastures, with "The Hand That Signed The Paper" not really doing much to keep the listener's attention. My favorite cuts are "Suffocated Cries", "Amplify", and "Praise The Loud".


--EC 04.30.05