A lot of bands that sound a lot like Metallica have come and gone during the past two decades. Germany's Perzonal War, however, has to be among the best imitators. And as much as the band's press people want to claim Perzonal War has shed the Metallica comparisons on the quartet's fourth album, When Times Turn Red, one listen to opening cut "When Time Turns Red" will convince you that vocalist/guitarist Matthias "Metti" Zimmer could be James Hetfield's little brother; he even wears his hair cropped short and tight. Armed with plenty of brutal melodies and progressive overtones (just like Metallica once upon a time) Perzonal War nevertheless sounds confident and all grown up here. The songs on When Times Turn Red grapple with personal conflict and are laced with social commentary, and the title theme of "red" as the symbol for power runs through this music's veins. The album's strongest section comes in the second half, where the band sheds some of the Metallica references on tracks like "5 More Days," "Frozen Image," "New Age" and the surprisingly epic "Hope Dies Last." Perzonal War doesn't break as much new metal ground here as some would have you believe, but these guys are very good at what they do. Impressive stuff.
Track Listing:
1. When Time Turns Red
2. In Flames
3. For The Last Time
4. The Unbeliever
5. My Conspiracy
6. New Age
7. Frozen Image
8. 5 More Days
9. Hope Dies Last
10. Inferno
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