Ross the Boss - Hailstorm

Release Date: October 29, 2010
Label: AFM Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  I.A.G.
2.  Kingdom Arise
3.  Dead Man’s Curve
4.  Hailstorm
5.  Burn Alive
6.  Crom
7.  Behold the Kingdom
8.  Great Gods Glorious
9.  Shining Path
10.  Among the Ruins
11. Empire’s Anthem

Total playing time:  45:25

October 30, 2010

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

Ross the Boss and his Men of War are back with Hailstorm.  He probably should have called this Riffstorm instead as it is a vast improvement from 2008’s New Metal Leader.  While Primal Fear may be irked at Ross’ penchant for eagles on album covers, Manowar may also be taking notes from their former guitarist.

“I.A.G.” is a nice moody instrumental that has a haunting atmosphere and moments that mimic Joey DeMaio’s bass solos.  The album leaps with the grand and galloping “Kingdom Arise.” Better than anything on New Metal Leader, this track oozes with Metal magic and will send Power Metal fans into frenzy. “Dead Man’s Curve” is built on a melodic hook and a strong Manowar-vibe. But it’s the title track that really gets the blood flowing.  With a picked-up pace and great shredding and riffing, it’s a beautiful burner that allows vocalist Patrick Fuchs hits some piercing notes.

“Burn Alive” is a pulsating Rock-friendly throw away track.  There is nothing special about the song and it almost seems a bit out of place.  Conan the Barbarian would be proud of “Crom.”  The song has a total Manowar vibe and it a nice snail-paced track.  The Metal continues a slow crawl with “Behold the Kingdom.” Fortunately Ross’ soloing and melodic hooks keep the track above water.

The instrumental “Great Gods Glorious” allows for Ross to churn out some great melodies.  It totally brings the listener back into the disc. “Shining Path” has that trademark Manowar pulse but gets a bit gummed up with the backing keyboards but the cheesy nature of the song gives it a certain charm.  “Among the Ruins” starts out really soggy coming off as a piano-based ballad.  However, the song quickly does an about face and delivers some great riffing, plenty of atmosphere and Fuchs best performance to date. Closing out the disc is another pulsating track. The acoustic moments and even the keyboard-based symphony give the track a great atmosphere. Coupled with “Among the Ruins,” “Empire’s Anthem” nicely delivers the majestic Metal goods.

Hailstorm will definitely appeal to Ross’ fans from the Manowar days.  Several tracks could have appeared on any of the Ross-era albums.  A meatier production might even steal away some fans bored with the Gods of War bombast coming from the aforementioned band.  With no gang-shouted choruses and Fuchs sounding much more confident, those put off by New Metal Leader need to re-invest in Ross’ solo output. The only negatives come from the album’s soggy midsection and perhaps too much Mano-isms.  Even then, it’s nice to hear Ross get back to his roots and rip out some nice solos and mighty riffs.

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