Ethnolution A.D.

Steamhammer Us [Spv]

Germany’s power metal onslaught Mob Rules have returned with their best-dressed work to date. Ethnolution A.D. is a semi-concept album that conveys some pretty deep philosophical thought on the band’s part. In their words it is an album centered on, “the ethnological development on our planet, the problematic coexistence of culturally and intellectually different peoples.” Once again it has been proven that metal heads are not challenged intellectually as this statement clearly shows; it contains more words with more syllables than I think I’ve heard come from any one artist in the history of metal. With that said, let me move on to what matters most - the music.

It is very evident from the opening track, which in this case is the guitar solo “Ethnolution: Prologue” performed to perfection by Mob Rules newest axe slinger, Sven Lüdke that they are off to an excellent start and pave the way for what is to come. Immediately following the intro which begins with a lamenting chant of the twenty-third Psalm, the band kicks in full force with a monstrous riff that sends the heart pounding and the blood flowing. Technical precision and well thought out arrangements are at the core of this album, companied by the band’s ability to entrance the listener on the deepest emotional levels. The band showcases their most impressive sides during such cuts as the thunderous “Ethnolution: Unholy War”, “Day And A Lifetime” with it’s beautiful choral arrangement, and the majestic sounding “New Horizon”. While I’m very pleased with what I hear this time around and believe that vocalist Klaus Dirks nails every note I still feel that he lacks, at times, the passion that would completely send this band over the top. While the rich, clean vocal style works well in certain aspects of the band’s music, I believe with a little more guts and little less glory they could achieve a genre-defining masterpiece.

Mob Rules manages to bring forth a convincing and uncompromising metal album with Ethnolution A.D. Fortunately for them they have been given another opportunity to achieve heightened success as metal fans world wide have been able to breathe new life into this once thought to be dead genre. Here’s to the future of metal and Mob Rules’ essential contribution to its legacy.

-Priest