After eight studio albums, Germany's Axxis has finally delivered the album I know the band has had in it for 15 years. Time Machine is more aggressive, diverse and powerful than any of the wimpier music the quartet has recorded. Singer Bernhard Weiss sounds like he studied at the same school as former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske, while his bandmates clearly worship at the altar of the Scorpions, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Pristinely mixed by Pink Cream 69 bassist Dennis Ward (who's making quite a name for himself behind the production console), Time Machine reveals nothing you've not heard before, but considering that Axxis' previous albums all sound the same, this one rises to the top of the heap with catchy melodies and politically intriguing lyrics about Palestinian-Israeli uprisings ("Wind in the Night (Shalom)") and the battle for Iraq ("Wings of Freedom"). Other songs are standard — and stale — fare, pulsating with double-bass drums, shining keyboards and pseudo-dark lyrics ("Lost in the Darkness," "The Demons Are Calling," "Gimme Your Blood"). But, as with many metal albums released these days, you take the good with the not-so-good.
Track Listing:
1) Mystery of Time (Intro) (1:04)
2) Angel of Death (5:00)
3) Time Machine (5:13)
4) Wind in the Night (Shalom) (4:55)
5) Lost in the Darkness (3:51)
6) The Demons Are Calling (4:02)
7) Wings of Freedom (4:43)
8) Dance in the Starlight (4:24)
9) Battle of Power (3:37)
10) Alive (4:55)
11) Gimme Your Blood (4:18)
12) Don't Drag Me Down (4:05)
Total Time: 50:18
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