Violent Storm

There was a period of time in the 1990s when heavy metal -- and especially bands that thrived a decade earlier -- seemed dead and extinct, respectively. But come the early 21st century, bands were no longer ashamed to voice their admiration of groups like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest -- resulting in a host of new, similarly styled outfits, including Violent Storm. Led by former Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen bassist Mick Cervino (who pens most of the band's music and lyrics), Violent Storm issued their debut album, Storm Warning, in 2007. And there are obvious reasons why the album harkens back to vintage '80s metal -- tops being that Priest's K.K. Downing produced the album. Additionally, Downing also contributed some guitar solos, as did Malmsteen and Roy Z (the latter of whom has produced albums for Bruce Dickinson, Helloween, and Priest). The result is an album that wouldn't sound out of place being blasted out of a Camaro on the set of Heavy Metal Parking Lot, especially such tracks as the album-opening "War No More," or the tracks which feature Yngwie burning up the fretboard -- "Fire in the Unknown" and "Pain." Lyrically, a few clunkers are detected, such as the chorus of "Alimentary Fable" ("We can do, what any doctor can do -- We can cut, what any fool doctor can cut!"), but if you're a fan of the aforementioned veteran metal bands, Storm Warning should certainly warrant some inspection. [The 2007 edition included a bonus cut.] ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide