Brunorock - War Maniacs (2009)

Brunorock is the solo-project of Bruno Kraler, Italian singer and guitarist, former frontman in the heavy bands Dark Sky and Nightpride. His first release under this name is a self-titled 1994 album, completely sung in Italian; it was followed by 2002's "X-Over", a more conventional album with English lyrics, and 2005 album, "Interaction". Brunorock’s War Maniacs is the fourth studio release from the veteran group fronted by vocalist/guitarist Bruno Kraler, and is a release that deserves much praise.

Rising from the remains of European rockers Dark Sky and Nightpride, frontman Bruno Kraler has assembled an able group of veteran musicians for the latest album, which Kraler also produces and mixes. Kraler is a solid guitarist with a decent singing voice in a relatively high range, reminiscent of Ian Gillan and Gary Moore. Kicking in on keyboards and backing vocals is the talented Alessandro Del Vecchio (Edge Of Forever, Moonstone Project, Axe, Eden’s Curse) – who comes close at times to stealing the spotlight with his well crafted keyboard riffs. Veteran Bobby Altvater (Affair, Bonfire) plays an excellent and crisp guitar. John Billings (Lancia) lays down some fine bass, playing the ballads as well as he play the galloping heavy stuff. Dominik Hülshorst (Bonfire, Cacumen, Darxon) contributes some truly incredible drumming, doing everything and anything to drive the rhythm section forward.

The tracks on War Maniacs run the gamut from ballads and commercial sounding soft rock through some heavy, bluesy rock and high energy metal – with an AC/DC cover mixed in for good measure.

“Breakthrough” opens the CD with style – it is a kicky, upbeat rock tune with some great keys, lyrics, drums and guitars, and it sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Liar” is a great commercial rock song with a fabulous driving bass line and catchy chorus. The band shifts gears a bit and puts out a bouncy, almost pop-rock piece in “Julia” – not the band’s true strength. “Last Ride” slows a bit, and is a moody track with lots of thick and rich guitar solos. “In Search Of Faith” is a moody ballad with great keys, and thought provoking lyrics. Del Vecchio’s short keyboard solo (“Forever Free”) changes the tone again and leads into the two strongest tracks on the disc, the high energy “Time To Run” and the double-bass driven “War Maniacs”. The band then does an able but not groundbreaking cover of AC/DC’s “Touch Too Much.” “Temptations” is another almost pop-metal piece, but this leads into the band’s excellent power-ballad closing – “Painless Skies.”

The production and engineering on War Maniacs are outstanding, almost as crisp and clear as you’d expect from a power metal band. Unfortunately that level of engineering tends to occasionally give the music a bit of a cold and sterile feel. Musically, everything is balanced nicely with all instruments and vocals in perfect order. No one aspect of the recording dominates which makes for an overall pleasant listening experience.

All in all, War Maniacs is a great listen. The music is soft and quiet then heavy and high energy, never pounding and always melodic. It’s a great disc to pop into the car’s CD player and enjoy on the open road (or in traffic…). There isn’t anything truly groundbreaking or unique here, but it is a solid album and one that is performed with great enthusiasm. Highly recommended!

~ Discogs / HardrockHaven.NET