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For one thing, itÆs slightly █ █ █ █ mislabelled. It checks all the boxes to be nominally █ █ █ █ thrash, but riff for riff, theyÆre put slightly to shame by █ █ █ █ the gritty, aggressive, technical virtuosity of their █ █ █ █ fellow Beijingers Dinkumoil. In addition, like Dinkumoil, █ █ █ █ they are heavily influenced by the New Wave of British █ █ █ █ Heavy Metal (to the point where they cover Judas PriestÆs █ █ █ █ æBreaking the LawÆ) and by early speed and power metal. At █ █ █ █ their best (as on æKeep Running for MetalÆ and æGuardians █ █ █ █ of GlaveÆ), they follow gladly and proficiently in that █ █ █ █ tradition û their main vocalist You Yunrui is a refreshing █ █ █ █ change of pace, in part because he can bring some genuine █ █ █ █ power and passion to his vocals with a Kai Hansen-ish █ █ █ █ snarl. Backing vocalist Zhang Tianran of the folk-black █ █ █ █ one-man outfit Tengger Cavalry provides black metallic █ █ █ █ rasps, growls and sinister whispers to, for example, █ █ █ █ æSoundless TrainÆ and æJudgement of BalanceÆ which sound █ █ █ █ for the most part ornamental. So to thrash purists reading █ █ █ █ my humble review, you may wish to give this album a miss █ █ █ █ (or borrow it, rather than buying from your local Chinatown █ █ █ █ / metalhead who also happens to be an old Beijing hand)à █ █ █ █ think of it instead as melodic thrash, progressive thrash █ █ █ █ or power-thrash. █ █ █ █ The progressive influence on this band is readily discerned █ █ █ █ from the albumÆs bookends, æDarkness Within SerenityÆ and █ █ █ █ æAn Ever Burning FlameÆ û simple, melodic, instrumental █ █ █ █ guitars-only pieces which also sports what is perhaps the █ █ █ █ clearest and best-used production on the CD. These really █ █ █ █ seem far better-suited to a symphonic-power or neoclassical █ █ █ █ metal release than to a thrash album. One hears the bandÆs █ █ █ █ temptations between a strong power / speed metal influence █ █ █ █ on the one hand on, say, æGuardians of GlaveÆ, and their █ █ █ █ progressive inclinations on the other û both to positive █ █ █ █ effect (æKeep Running for MetalÆ, which has enough thrashy █ █ █ █ elements to remain interesting) and to its detriment █ █ █ █ (æJudgement of BalanceÆ tends to drag). Overall, all of the █ █ █ █ stylistic elements are there, but Hell Savior just doesnÆt █ █ █ █ seem to put them all together as well as more experienced █ █ █ █ power-thrash bands like Courageous do. █ █ █ █ àAnd then thereÆs æBreaking the LawÆ. The make-or-break of █ █ █ █ the review. If youÆre going to cover Priest, particularly █ █ █ █ classic Priest, you really want to do it right. On the one █ █ █ █ hand, being slavish about it isnÆt going to earn you any █ █ █ █ points from me, no matter how well itÆs done (like █ █ █ █ HelloweenÆs rendition of æElectric EyeÆ). On the other █ █ █ █ handà for the love of Rob, letÆs not have any lazy, shitty █ █ █ █ middle-of-the-road Blitz Ellsworth æTyrantÆs either. If █ █ █ █ youÆre going to redo the vocals, at least redo them █ █ █ █ competently the way Chuck Billy did deploying his █ █ █ █ awe-inspiring deathrash growls to æRapid FireÆ. Sadly, █ █ █ █ though Hell Savior do avoid mimicking Priest too closely, █ █ █ █ You YunruiÆs vocals donÆt really do the song as much █ █ █ █ justice as they should û partly because of the Chinglish █ █ █ █ delivery, and partly because the vocals just sound kind ofà █ █ █ █ well, rote. When Rob Halford screams, æYou donÆt know what █ █ █ █ itÆs like!Æ, you can feel the proletarian frustration and █ █ █ █ rage, finally finding its release in a single act of █ █ █ █ defiance. Given the current state of Chinese society, with █ █ █ █ both an authoritarian government and a crass, uncaring █ █ █ █ corporate-capitalist economic establishment even in large █ █ █ █ cities like Beijing, You Yunrui should certainly be able to █ █ █ █ empathise with the kinds of raw emotions put on display in █ █ █ █ æBreaking the LawÆ. In addition, though the instrumentation █ █ █ █ is obviously quite proficient, the muffled, muted █ █ █ █ production doesnÆt work in their favour here. This track █ █ █ █ seems more like a wasted opportunity than a grand finish. █ █ █ █ Actually, the mixing and production are generally the █ █ █ █ AchillesÆ heels of this release. Having a garage-band sound █ █ █ █ is usually a justifiable point of pride for upstart thrash █ █ █ █ bands, but here the entire thing sounds like it was █ █ █ █ recorded in a padded room. The guitars and drums are muffed █ █ █ █ and muted to the point where an already mushy thrash tempo █ █ █ █ is rendered even fuzzier. Songs which might otherwise be █ █ █ █ incredible (æLife Rattle OnÆ, æKeep Running for MetalÆ) are █ █ █ █ rendered merely good, and good ones are rendered █ █ █ █ forgettable. █ █ █ █ This isnÆt a bad album, really û it just doesnÆt hang █ █ █ █ together very well. For one thing, itÆs power metal with █ █ █ █ the obligatory bullet belt. For another thing, itÆs █ █ █ █ inconsistent with the way it handles its progressive █ █ █ █ influences û sometimes they are put to good use, but in █ █ █ █ other areas they tend to drag the album down. █ █ █ █ █ █ █░█ █░█ █ █ 1. Intro - Darkness Within Serenity 1:12 █ █ █ █ 2. Soundless Train 5:59 █ █ █ █ 3. Keep Running for Metal 4:03 █ █ █ █ 4. Guardians of Glave 4:48 █ █ █ █ 5. Judgement of Balance 4:50 █ █ █ █ 6. An Ever Burning Flame 2:25 █ █ █ █ 7. Life Rattles On 5:20 █ █ █ █ 8. Breaking the Law (Judas Priest cover) 3:32 █ █ █ █ 32:09 █ █ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒ ░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒ ░█▓█▓░ ████▄▄ ▄▄▄████ ░█▓█▓░ ▒▓██▓▓░ ░██████████▄▄ ▄▄██████████▒ ▒▓██▓▓░ ▓█▓██▒▓██▒ ██▓ ▓██████████▓░ ▓██ ▒▄▄▓▒██▓█▓ ▓██▄██▓▄█░██ ░██▓ ▓██ ▄█░█▄▓██▄██▓ ░███ ████▀██░█ ░██░▀███████████▀▓██ █░██▀████ ███░ ▓██ ███ ▀█░█ ██ ░██ █████████ ░██ ██ █░█▀ ███ ██▓ ██░ ▀ █░█▓ ███ ▓█░ ███████ ░██ ███░ ▓█░█ ▀ ░██ ▓█░▄ ███ █▓█░ ░█░███ ▓█ ██████ ██ ███ ██ ░█▓█ ███ ▄░█▓ ░██░▄ ██░██▓█ █ ░█████ ▓█ █████ ░█ ████░ █ █▓██░██ ▄░██░ ▓███░▄ ███░█▄ ██ ░▓█████ █░ ████ ██ █████░ ██ ▄█░███ ▄░███▓ ░ ▀██░▀▀████░▓█▄ █ █░░▓█████ ▀█ ███ █░ █████▓░ █ █ ▄█▓░████▀▀░██▀ ░ ▒ ▀████▓▀███░██▄ ██ ░███ ░░▓█████ ███ ████▓▓░ ███░ ██ ▄██▓███▀▓████▀ ▒ ░ ▓ ███░▓█ ██ ███████ ░░▓▓░ ███ ░▓▓░░ ███████ ██ █▓░███ ▓ ░ ░ ░ ▀████PR█ ████████████████████████████████ █ ████▀ ░ ░ ░ ▓▓ █ ████████████████████████████████ █ ▓▓ ░ ▒ █ █████████ ░▓▓░ ███ ░▓░ █████████ █ ▒ ░ ██ █████░ ░▓████░ ███ ░███▓▓ ░█████ ██ ░ ██ █ ░████░ ▄█ ███ █▄░████▓░ █ ██ ░ █ ████▓ █░ █████ ░█ ▓████░ █ ░ █ ███▓▓░ █▓ █████ █▄ ▓███░ █▄ █▓███░ █▀ ██████▒ ▀█░ ▓███ █ ████▓░ ██ ███████ ██░ ░████ ██▓ ██ █████████ ██ ░██ █▓░ ██ ▄███████████▄░██ ░█ ██░ ░██ ██░ ▓██████████░ ▓██ ███▓██████▀▀ ▀▀██████████▒ ████▀▀▀ ▀▀▀████