Ross The Boss - Hailstorm (2010) (Ltd.Edition Digipak)

The second album by former Manowar guitarist Ross "the Boss" Friedman offers another thundering dose of power metal of more or less the same type his former bandmates used to make, minus the pompous epics that have clogged their latter-day work.

For better or worse, and through due default, Ross the Boss is the man. I mean, first of all, his name is one of the best schlocky monikers this side of Guy Mann-Dude, Rex Rocker and maybe Chip Z‘Nuff, and second, his tenure in Manowar, long-time forefathers of “true metal” silliness, isn’t to be discounted. Now granted, I’d not followed the “the Boss” way of things after he departed the Men o’ War, but I can only imagine that his musical efforts wouldn’t be too much of a departure from the battle hymns he previously blasted (not that I’m holding that against him; after all, old habits die hard).

So when it came time to check out his latest offering, I took to it to see what the Boss had been bossing around with.

Well, I was right; the general sound on the disc is the not-quite-aged-well classic metal approach that was huge back some 30 years ago, but with some extra twists and turns that doesn’t cause it all to fall under the cracks of simple rehashing. One of the things that makes it a better fiasco is that the scheme of things is far more serious and less cheesy and aware of itself than his previous group, where a more dramatic and theatrical (if not outright cinematic) feel is present in the tracks. There’s a far more power/melodic metal edge to the compositions by way of orchestral synths, booming choirs and plentiful melodies mixed with the galloping rhythmic riffs and tastefully harmonic leads and solos, where each track changes focus almost track by track, from epic odes to straight-forward rockers to anything else in between. “Hailstorm” presents better and more plentiful ideas thrown in than the last couple of Manowar albums, which thankfully doesn’t come off as overtly pompous and overstaying its welcome (again, like the past few Manowar albums) which garners further appreciation on my end. I’m starting to think that this whole old-school metal thing is less of a trip down memory lane and more of an outright movement, where, for example, this album and the resurrection of bands like Accept in recent years could very well lead to something that would at least serve as a good distraction from the muck and mire of what’s considered “metal” and “heavy music” these days. And for as tasty as the songs presented here on “Hailstorm” are, there’s still a definitive limitation to this particular genre in order for it to preserve the “old school” feel, and it’s unfortunate that such a limitation is present, as that was the sort of thing that made the classic approach only last as long as it did back in the heydays of metaldom. However, that’s simply only one thorn in this side, as the songwriting and general performance is still strong and energetic throughout, as tracks like “Hailstorm”, “Behold the Kingdom” and “Great Gods Glorious” showcase loud and clear.

In the end, Ross the Boss hasn’t really moved too far past his loincloth-clad roots, but thankfully he doesn’t attempt to fully replicate it. And while the classic metal thing isn’t really my main forte, I can see this getting a few more spins in the years to come.

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