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FORENSICK
The Prophecy

Pure Underground (2014)
Rating: 5/10

German metalheads Forensick was born in 2010 out of two respective bands, namely Cruelty and Heap Of Ruins. The quintet released its self-titled album in 2012, and The Prophecy signals the return for this denim-clad bunch. The line-up consists of vocalist Tobias Hübner, bassist Andreas Armbruster, drummer Julian Rocco Lepore, plus the guitar assault of Stephan Vogt and Matthias Ehmig.

Although I never heard the band’s debut opus, my first impressions of this sophomore album is that Forensick – in spite of a name which suggested to me that these guys were going to be a gore-obsessed metal band – are very much a traditional heavy metal outfit.

The Prophecy does everything it says on the tin with regards to being a no-holds barred, straight down the line warts ’n’ all rocker which is influenced by Iron Maiden, and those sort of galloping fist-pumping bands. There are no real frills to offer, and I do at times struggle with the vocals which are a tad strained at times. This is immediately apparent with the opening ‘Hero Of The Day’, which is a basic bass-rattling, driving hard rock chest-pounder featuring a catchy riff and solid drum dash. It’s nothing fancy, but then again I don’t think it wants to be. With tales of ancient history and the darkness and propaganda, the likes of ‘Doomsday Machine’ and ‘Dark Secret’ have a tendency to labour, even with their energy – if that makes sense?

With that rattle bass, those predictable solos and riffs, and that all too flimsy vocal wail, there’s just no conviction to this flimsy brand of standard metal which seems to suffer time and time again from its generic outlook and outlay. ‘When The War Begins’ attempts the epic only to fail miserably as a contrived pile of beer-guzzling heroism wrapped up in a teenage angst that dragged metal down into the pits of mediocrity many moons ago.

Clearly on a revival trip, Forensick has no identity of its own except a façade built upon too many nights of listening to Helloween and Manilla Road, only to then be delivered without the force or majesty of either. Bands of this ilk are two a penny and they are all fighting for dominance in a world where it is a case of survival of the fittest, but what would help is a tinge of energy above mimicry. With a press release that speaks of the album boasting “clear, charismatic vocals” teamed with “steady heaviness” musically, I can only add that such ingredients make for an extremely boring listen, because in spite of the countless nods towards 80s metal, this is another contemporary record that leaves me cold.

Neil Arnold

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