Master Charger – Eroding Empires

Well, basically…

https://youtu.be/2_CEV6FQVAI

Endured by Angie”mmm” K…

When you say “This album is growing on me”, that’s not necessarily a good sign… is it? Yes, this is how I got to like a fair number of my favourite bands, but there is also a special category of music “growing” on you: the one not really your cup of tea, that you have no real chance of getting into. The more you listen to it though, the higher the chance you might accept it after all. Which doesn’t mean you could ever become a fan or buy their future releases. But you’d nod your head and say “Yeah, it’s OK”. Full stop. I’d say Master Charger’s album Eroding Empires falls under the latter category. Which doesn’t mean it won’t be someone else’s cup of tea. Those of you who are fans of Black Sabbath and Motorhead may well find that Master Charger ticks their boxes.

Good news: their music is energetic and not at all badly performed. They do know how to shred, and instrumentally Eroding Empires seems like a rather decent effort. I am not too keen on all their shredding, though some of it sounds a tad out of tune, but that might be just me, being a die-hard fan of classic rock and prog metal where melody has a distinctive role (think Deep Purple, Megadeth, Whitesnake, Symphony X and the likes). I do struggle with bands such as Sabbath and Motorhead. I do like their music, but it’s the vocals that kill it for me. Which is where I am opening a can of worms, I guess. As much as I like Lemmy and Ozzy as musicians, this type of vocals doesn’t do it for me. I am more of a Dio/Joe Lynn Turner/David Coverdale girl. Cheesy, I know. Which is why Motorhead fans shouldn’t really trust this review perhaps…

With all the good intentions to write an objective and unbiased review, I must admit that the album struggled to keep my interest. The opening track ‘Damn Me Forever’ did make me hopeful with a clear reference to Motley Crue’s ‘Kick Start My Heart’ which proved to be a false one. Master Charger have nothing to do with that type of metal or, sadly to say, class. Once you’ve heard a couple of songs, that’s pretty much it. The rest are more or less repetition of the same stuff, not much there to pique your interest, apart from ‘In Hells Grip’, a track I did find interesting. Not because it has a lyrical section, but it does show some imagination, ability to make a song unpredictable and, basically, good. With varied melody and pace, it proves that the band have potential. If Master Charger read this, I’d say: “Well done guys, think ‘Hells Grip’ when you start working on any new material.”

5 out of 10

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Track listing:

1. Damn Me Forever
2. Dwell In The Doom
3. Turn The Tides
4. Derailed
5. Blessed Be…
6. In Hell’s Grip
7. Death Trails (To The Black Divine)
8. Wither
9. Break Of Dawn
10. Where I Belong…