Jono Moulds checks out the new album from Victory for The Rock & Roll Circus. "Gods of Tomorrow" will be released on November 26, 2021 through AFM Records.
Ten years after their last studio album, Don't Talk Science, hard rock titans VICTORY have announced their return with a brand-new album. Gods of Tomorrow will be released on November 26, 2021 through AFM Records.
The iconic band, who formed in 1984, belongs to one of the most distinctive hard rock acts and spearheads of their genre. VICTORY ranked alongside Scorpions, Accept and Halloween as the most successful German band, played countless arena and festival shows all over the world and released ten multiple charting records to date.
VICTORYs exceptional talents prove that they can be the gods of today and also of tomorrow. Thirteen addictive tracks taking you on a wild ride of unexpected power and classic rock grandeur.
Says guitar mastermind Herman Frank: “An infinitely excitingand turbulent journey makes a stopover with the new Victory album Gods of Tomorrow. But the whole story is far from being told yet...“
After the atmospheric and ominous intro, a simple ‘5 note’ guitar run flourishes into a full on ‘riffmungus’ start for the opening track on the album, that is ‘Love & Hate’ which is smartly augmented by some sublime chord changes. As the first verse comes out to play, the opening guitar riff ceases, as an alternative two-string, guitar plucked lick is upon us, as ‘Pontillo’ sings powerfully over the top of it (Hagar-esque perhaps??). You can’t help but be immediately taken in by Pontillo’s vocal, which has all the Rock attributes that are required. The pre-chorus has a similar guitar plucked rhythm/ technique to it, before the chorus hits home, as it’s sung over those simple, but effective opening guitar notes. The solo arrives around two-thirds of the way through, as the tune finishes with the chorus on repeat. Cracking start.
So, what’s next, ah yes, ‘Gods of Tomorrow’ which begins with another heavy phased soaked guitar riff, that sounds deep and overdriven. This track comes out of the blocks much faster than the opening track, and has an abundance of energy. Verse to chorus, the pace is non-stop, only interspersed by some WAH guitar break, before we head back into the verse-chorus cycle. The solo piece is once again heavy on the WAH, but just eases in and delivers. Perhaps this should have opened up the album, but that’s just nit-picking. Guitar riffage and a quick-fire solo’s stoke things up on ‘Cut to the Bone’ as the opening line kicks in ‘I’ve got a bone to pick – yeah, I’m talking to you’, I’m guessing there is some bad, bad woman at the centre of all this, as the catchy pre-chorus lyrics start to tell a familiar tale – ‘I’m gonna make you pay the piper, t’s time to even the score’ – Look out!! The main riff has a great hook to it and has that classic Rock vibe/ sound to it (AC/DC??). The guitar solo is played over a different chord sequence, and leads directly back into the chorus. Great
stomper this.
A slower, but still powerful sounding entrance to ‘Dying in Your Arms’ as a solid one-note bass line plays resonantly underneath the lighter guitar lick. Verse one continues in the same vein, as vocals are laid over the thick sounding bass, drums and those melodic picked notes on the guitar. The pre chorus is all about setting up the chorus, which is does brilliantly, as the guitars soar and musically, the sound moves into a powerful arena.
The classic, but still effective kick drum to snare combination ensures that ‘Hold on Me’ is given the correct opening treatment, as we are met with yet more thick, overdriven chords for this mid-paced metal offering. There are some overtones of ‘Bon Jovi’, in terms of the ‘Woah’ backing vocals that are fed in in here and there, but this tune is a straight-ahead Rock ‘n Roll standard and never deviates from its foundations from start to finish. ‘Into The Light’ springs into action, with further examples of ‘raspy’ guitar riffage that radically change from the opening to that which supports the first verse. As chorus comes into view, we have another chance to check out the opening riff as its played, while ‘Pontillo’ sings ‘Into the light – I’m not afraid no more’. At this point, it’s of note to say that guitar solo has some great metal technique, but the surprise is that has a secondary part that brings out some top melodic elements. Love it!!
‘Mad’ has a prolonged, drawn-out introduction, where a deep, unassuming and cyclical guitar lick is at the front end of the song, while the arrangement and chord structure changes behind it. This intro seems to run on for some time, with the faintest of vocal/spoken words lingering in amongst it all.
It’s only after around a minute in that the vocal arrives, but it certainly has a menace to it, albeit, that the riff does not shift one iota. Eventually, the pre-chorus changes the whole vibe, as we leave the riff for a wee bit and make our way to the chorus, which has a great hook and dare I say it, more commercial sounding than the songs to this point of the album, but, it still retains the bands power. My fav so far. Great tune.
And without any restrictions, we move quickly onto ‘Unconditional Love’. For a second track on the bounce, we have another song which has more than a smidge of commerciality about the melody and vibe (which, is by no stretch a bad thing), and in the same vein as the previous tune, the power of the bands approach, playing and sound are rooted. The chorus has all the traits of that classic power ballad and will have you singing along within the first play. There is also a super smooth and technically astute guitar piece to add that extra sparkle to proceedings, but, there’s something more, as the song’s structure changes and the secondary guitar part is played over a ‘stripped back’ arrangement. Top stuff as the combined solos take-up nearly a minute of the 5.36 second tune.
And back to some classic sounding metal with ‘My own Desire’ as its all thunder and sparks on its unveiling. The start has guitars wailing, drums a-pounding, which all ride over the top of the opening riff-fest. This resolves as we hit the first verse, as we have a completely different run of chords, mixed with picked guitar. The chorus is hard and driven, with the kick drum and chugging chords making it sound incredibly resolute. The solo starts off in a kind of laid-back way, where it’s not all speed, but is smartly played, in an almost ‘Malmsteen’ style. Very nice. ‘On Fire’ isn’t quite as fast paced as the last track, but it certainly delivers with all the ingredients that we’ve now come to expect. First thing that stands out is the way in which the guitar mixes things up behind the vocal, that being, it changes from your standard chords to some great runs/lines, which really mixes things up, in an inventive way, that is. The bridge is also a nice departure from the onslaught, as for brief second, things turn far more melodic, but not for too long. A solid song, with some great guitar touches.
No stopping the ‘Victory’ train of metal, as ‘Rising Force’, well, ‘Rises’ with ‘Force’, so to speak. This is another no-holds barred, rock solid, metal opening of a song, as the ‘Priest’ style riffage and sound have taken their seats and are in the front row waiting to roar!!! There are no frills to this, as it beats you down from second one. From the chorus, we hear the chant like warning of ‘Get it down – we want more – this is the time of the Rising Force’. Oh Yeah!!!
‘In Rock We Trust’ arrives with more gloopy, thick and gain-fuelled chords, with the steady and solid drums/bass propping it all up from outset. The flow is mid-paced and falls into that ‘stomper’ bracket, however, the pre-chorus certainly has a catchy vibe to it, all this before we hit the anthemic chorus, where you know what’s going to go down, oh yes!!! – ‘IN ROCK WE TRUST!!!’ is belted out for the masses. An obvious track to play live this, and I’m sure that will be the case. If you are lucky
enough to have the CD version, then you’ll also be getting a bonus track that is ‘Leave You Alone’. This tune completes this 14-song album, as the bass takes centre stage at the start, accompanied by the odd guitar flurry. The whole vibe to the track seems to drift between a commercial/AOR sound to more of that expected Rock/Metal approach, especially over the solo, where there are some great guitar runs/licks going on. However, the mix works really well and the whole is as the result of the
sum of its parts.
And so, the album and its songs have been fully ‘checked out’ and it’s been like a bit of a time capsule for me. There are tunes on this album that have certainly taken me back to those days of the NWOBHM, both in terms of the writing, playing and the albums sound/production. The band demonstrate all the classic characteristics that you would associate with bands from that time, from awesome vocals/harmonies, through to rhythmic power and top-level guitar work.
If you want a trip down memory lane, but un updated full-on and fresh version of it, take a punt on this album. BOOM!!!
Review by Jono Moulds
Out on November 26, 2021 via AFM Records, the album is now available "HERE"
Check out the official video for "Love & Hate".
VICTORY is:
Gianni Pontillo (Vocals)
Herman Frank (Guitar)
Mike Pesin (Guitar)
Malte Frederik Burkert (Bass)
Michael Stein (Drums)
Links to VICTORY :
Facebook
Website
Ceri Davies
Presenter and Co-Director
