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NOOR
Mother’s Guilty Pleasure Part One

Self-titled (2023)
Rating: 9/10

If ever there was a case of an album cover not matching the music within it’s this one – damn, even the band shots make them look more like a hardcore outfit. Secondly, Mother’s Guilty Pleasure Part One is not only the biggest surprise of 2023 but it’s also a contender for my best album of the year. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that it’s one of the best albums of the last decade..

Noor is an incredible Canadian power metal act from Montreal, Québec and they have released an album that literally incinerates the opposition. It’s rare for me, in my old age, to get excited about new albums but this debut blows the roof off whatever abode you reside within. Imagine a band like Heir Apparent but with extra meaty padding; those vocals are just wild and the leads just as crazy. If you’re a heavy metal fan then this is what you want from a record, something that drips with molten steel and makes you feel like you’ve embarked on an epic if somewhat reckless adventure.

Back in the 80s, US power sounded exactly like this; ferocious, bombastic and cocksure. But the most important aspect was to be led by a mercurial frontman and Noor has exactly that in the form of Thomas Karam who provides those flashing leads too. His style is energetic, dominant and nostalgic in their potency. The rest of the line-up consists of rhythm guitarist Simon Jarmosh, bassist Olivier Roy and drummer Nicolas Moro.

The album is armed with eight tracks, all of which run for over five minutes and all but one over six minutes. The opening title track is a nine-minute behemoth rippling with epic riffs which shift gear constantly but with an infectious grandiose steadiness. It’s such a robust offering where leads wail like sirens amidst the thunderous storm of percussion.

As ‘Golden Coffin’ emerges, I’m bamboozled by the torrent of leads to the extent that by the halfway point of the album I need a break! Flashes of thrash emerge amidst the constant lightning strikes; there are hints of Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, Crimson Glory and Helloween which sizzle like a hotly spiced cauldron. ‘All Equally Useless’ boasts a more measured approach as a pure power metal attack, while ‘Flaming Rage’ lives up to its title, scorching like a comet with its zipping axe work and spinal bass.

‘Hoodlum’ gallops like Iron Maiden, but for me it’s the last three tracks which cement Noor as the new gods. The melodious streaks of ‘Forgiving Eyes’, the eastern shades of ‘Hills Of Qartaba’ and the dramatic cold steel of ‘Roseblood’, all of which marry a soaring Queensrÿche majesty to a vibe of, say, Steelwing. This is just a joyously powerful album that erupts like a volcano, coating the land in metallic lava. However, if I had to find fault then I’d say the production isn’t the best although due to its rampant nature I can overlook that, but I do hope the band makes improvements.

And so, Noor is the new name on the block that has constructed an absolute mammoth of a heavy metal album and one that demands your attention like a muscled, sword wielding warrior screaming vengeance from the blood soaked mountain top. I never saw this coming in what could indeed be the second coming.

Neil Arnold

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