One of 2007's best albums was the solo debut from RPWL guitarist Kalle Wallner's Blind Ego Mirror. Featuring Paul Wrightson,John Mitchell and John Jowitt (and some Germans) the band were soon harsly dubbed the German Arena and the album contained many of that bands theatrical touches.
Now the bands second, or sophomore if you work for Classic Rock Magazine, release Numb is here. On the first listen it seemed that Kalle had eschewed that progressive approach and settled on a more straight forward heavy metal style rocker, but after a few listens the album's depth starts to shine through.
The band has seen some personnel changes: most noticeably there's no Mitchell so there's none of his bolt-on guitar solos, which in turn leaves more space for Kalle's excellent guitar work, shining on tracks such as Death. It also means a whole album for the unkempt Wrightson to stretch his vocal chords around, and that's no bad thing!
The album starts off with Lost, a 6 minute rocker driven along by Kalle's guitar work. Slow then fast at the chorus. A decent start to the album! This is followed by the atmospheric opening to Guilt, before it flips into a chunky riffed little number.
The title track Numb is next, sounding the most like a track from the previous album Mirror. As befitting a title track, this is filled with more excellent guitar work as well as a thumping beat from the rhythm section which features either Jowitt or Sebastian Harnack on bass and Michael Schwager on the drums. On top of all that there is a menacing vocal from Wrightson. Leave comes next with more soaring guitar work combined with quieter atmospheric sections.
A short burst of guitar ushers in Death, a melodic 10 minutes masterpiece which is quite possibly the best track on the album. Here and there, understated guitars weave their magic over and under the rhythm section's excellent work, occasionally soaring. This is topped off by another excellent vocal performance from Wrightson, with evocative lyrics such as "I've seen the end, there's no light, you close the door and that's where it ends". It all ends up with a scorching solo from Herr Wallner!
A funky groove heralds the start of Change, which then rips off into heavy territory. But hang on, hold them horses. No sooner have they started galloping, than they're reigned in for a spot of dressage or something - a quiet passage to you and me - before getting let loose again!
The mildly melodic Seek is the albums only low point for me. Nothing particularly wrong with it - solid guitars, sound bass and percussion, interesting vocals, but never hanging together as I would have liked. If I had any talent, of course. This passes thru quickly though and in comes the gentleness of Risk, vocals and guitars, a bar stools on stage kinda song. It serves as a good interlude, a short musical breather for the rest of the band before they come back into the maelstrom of Torn, five minutes of frantic drumming / bassing / guitaring letting the band rock out in the only way they know how.
The penultimate track is the the Queensryche-esque Vow, heavy riffing, gruff vocals, pacey and to the point in the beginning before slowing to a more sedate groove, before building and building back into itself, before ending like an album ender should do.
Which leaves the final track, Change Reprise, sounding a little tagged on, which I suppose it is. A different version of the track Change, mixed differently, and with the ex-Sepultura drummer Iggor Cavalera adding his own brand of thumping drums. It's a good track but I'm not a great fan of "bonus tracks" on albums - they should have a "start", a "middle" and an "end". Anything after the "end" seems to dilute it to me. Less is more, as they say.
Overall then, this is a real grower of an album, which is far heavier overall than the first one was. And quite far removed from the excellent RPWL too, which is the whole point of a solo album.
Track List:
- Lost
- Guilt
- Numb
- Leave
- Death
- Change
- Seek
- Rick
- Torn
- Vow
- Change Reprise
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