Black Hole: Whirlwind of Mad Men

Black Hole is a new band for me. The French band formed in 1995, but it has taken a while for releases to surface. In 2000 and 2008 they released a couple of demos, Victim of Illusion and Children of the Sun respectively. It was not until 2018 the band came out with their debut Lost World, followed by their sophomore 2022 release titled Whirlwind of Mad Men.

The Band:
Fabio Torrisi (lead vocals)
Matthieu Acker (electric guitars)
Patrick Umber (bass)
Christophe Brunner (drums)
Christophe Burghard (keyboards)
Special guest:
Roland Grapow (additional guitars on “My Friend� and solo on “Fear of the Dark�)

The band plays symphonic metal with a powerful rhythmic attack, embellished with lush, symphonic keyboards and strings, and powerful lead vocals with lots of nice melodies to be had. The band certainly takes some cues from the NWOBHM, most notably bands like Iron Maiden. The first track “Chasing the Kraken� begins with huge crashing chords and symphonic keyboards, launched by powerhouse drumming, the vocals melodic and powerful. Hints of Iron Maiden in the main riff and excellent all-around musicianship. The scorching lead guitar solo is a real head turner. On the energetic “Walking with the Devil�, the guitar riffs are razor sharp to go along with furiously paced drum work before the guitar breaks into a Middle Eastern influenced solo, absolutely blistering. Another strong riff progression and melodic guitar solo highlights the heavy symphonic metal of “Dark Horizon�, followed by the title track and its Maiden inspired galloping guitar riff. The vocals on “The Legend of Justine� are slightly enhanced adding a dramatic effect, another solid progressive metal track.

Besides the twelve proper album tracks, you get two bonus cover tunes at the end: Maiden’s “Fear of the Dark� and Aerosmith’s “Dream On�. The band does a great job with both tracks, remaining true to the originals while showcasing their exceptional talent.

Smart arrangements, excellent vocals, and blistering solos all add up to an outstanding album of symphonic metal. Let’s hope we hear more from this talented band.

A Rockshots Records’ release.

Track Listing:
1. Chasing the Kraken (3:53)
2. Walking with the Devil (4:11)
3. Dark Horizon (4:20)
4. Whirlwind of Mad Men (3:51)
5. The Legend of Justine (5:05)
6. My Precious Dream (5:02)
7. Never Surrender (5:24)
8. Breaking the Rules (5:43)
9. Line of Sight (4:24)
10. My Friend (5:41)
11. Deliverance (7:09)
12. No Return (3:11)
Bonus Tracks:
13. Fear of the Dark (Iron Maiden)
14. Dream On (Aerosmith)

Added: July 20th 2024
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 352
Language: english

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