Self-Released
Release Date: September 26th, 2024
Genre: Progressive Power Metal
Links: https://www.facebook.com/flashbackofanger
Line Up:
Alessio Gori – Vocals, Keyboards
Gianmarco Lotti – Guitars
Marco Moroni – Bass
Lorenzo Innocenti – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Introspection
2. Ordinary
3. Call to Arms
4. Ready to Fight
5. Enemy’s Eyes
6. Half Mast
7. Dreaming Home
8. Where I Belong
9. Neverending Thoughts
Italian progressive power metal band Flashback of Anger, are one of those bands I’ve been aware of for a long time, and always found their music enjoyable, but they’ve never fully blown me away. I first discovered them around the time of their second full length release, T.S.R, which took some time to grow on me, but I ended up enjoying it after a while, and I was also entertained by their other two currently released albums. They are now set to release their fourth album, the war themed concept album, Prisoner of War, and after several listens, I think it might just be their best work to date!
At a first glance, not much has changed for the band since their previous album, Shades, as the lineup remains the same, and stylistically they still play the same brand of melodic prog, with a fair amount of power metal flavor to go along with it. However, Prisoner of War is their first self-produced, self-released album to date, and it’s noticeable in the sound quality, which still sounds very good, with all instruments coming across nicely, but the production style definitely feels a bit more raw and old-school sounding than any of their previous albums. On previous albums, band leader Alessio Gori has always led the way with his keys and vocals, while other instruments played more of a secondary role, which isn’t as much the case this time. Obviously, the keys and vocals are still very prominent, but guitars are also more noticeable this time around, often taking the lead on many tracks, while the keys are used mainly for atmosphere and flavor, and don’t often sound as upbeat as on previous albums, most likely due to the overall darker, more mature tone of the album. Drums are also very noticeable, with most tracks having plenty of tempo changes, so Lorenzo Innocenti needs to alternate between being more intense and more laid back with his drums quite frequently, and he does an excellent job of that. Gianmarco Lotti is given a lot to work with on this album, with some very technical lead guitar work at times, some heavy, chunky riffs, some nice melodic leads and some excellent, classic prog style guitar solos.
While I found previous albums from the band to be a fairly even mix of prog and power metal, Prisoner of War feels more like a classic prog album, often reminding me of the likes of Dream Theater and Seventh Wonder, while power metal is still present but largely in short bursts, particularly in the middle stretch of the album, where most songs are atmospheric and fairly laid back with their tempo, only speeding up briefly. Power metal fans do have a fair amount to look forward to, from explosive opener “Ordinary”, to the closing trio of tracks, which all have plenty of more up tempo passages and soaring melodies. Speaking of which, Alessio Gori does a great job as a keyboardist, as usual, but this time around his vocals are where he really shines. He has sa mooth, rather high pitched voice, and he especially excels on melodic, soaring choruses, though he’s also very emotive on this album, and he sounds very good even during the calm, more restrained sections, of which there are plenty. Perhaps due to the nature of the concept, the music does feel a bit more dialed back at times, slowly building up to explosive moments instead of going all out from the start, and the band does a really good job of that. Lyrically, the album is about the horrors of war, the excitement of serving one’s country, and the lingering trauma that comes afterward. It’s a very dark album thematically, and one which is unfortunately very much grounded in reality, with how grim the world has been looking lately.
Moving on to the songwriting, which is an area where the album excels, as each track is excellent on its own, and it all comes together very smoothly. As expected from a concept album, there’s a brief intro track, which has some very atmospheric, very chilling pianos and keyboards, slowly building up in intensity as it goes on, leading into the explosive opener, “Ordinary”. This track opens up with a nice mix of heavy rhythm guitars and very classic prog sounding keys, with an upbeat feel to them. The lyrics are about a young man preparing to leave his home and go to war, so it has more of an upbeat feel compared to later tracks. The opening verse alternates between softer sections, and more upbeat passages, with some very nice melodic guitar leads. The chorus speeds things up, and has a nice mix of explosive drums, heavy guitars and upbeat keys, as well as some of those epic, soaring vocal melodies, which Gori excels at. It’s one of the catchiest, most immediately engaging tracks on the album, while still setting the tone nicely. It’s an excellent track overall, with the final run through the chorus being especially great. Next is “Call to Arms”, a slower paced, but still fairly upbeat track, where the guitars start to take over, with some nice melodic leads to start things off, leading into a slow, atmospheric opening verse, with some chunky riffs, light keys and slow, but intense drums. Most tracks have a bridge (or even multiple bridges), which do a nice job of building up to the chorus, and this is one of them, smoothly transitioning into an upbeat, melodic chorus, with some fantastic melodies. It’s a more restrained track for most of its duration, though that chorus is quite fun and catchy, with the sped up final run being fantastic, and there’s also a really nice, melodic guitar solo in the middle.
The album starts settling into a nice rhythm with “Ready to Fight”, a slightly more keyboard driven track, with light keys lingering in the background throughout most of the track. Dark, heavy guitars lead the way through the verses, which are once again very moody and do a nice job of slowly building up towards the bridge, which is slightly speedier and more intense, while the chorus has a nice mix of heavy guitar work and soaring vocals, with the vocal melodies remind me of some Rush tracks. It’s a dark, sinister sounding track, overall, though the chorus offers a tiny bit of levity, with its upbeat melodies. There’s a fantastic, extended solo in the middle, as well as some nice keys. Next is “Enemy’s Eyes”, which opens up with a speedy, classic power metal infused instrumental section, with Maiden influenced lead guitar work, accompanied by upbeat keys and lightning fast drums. The tempo soon slows down for the opening verse, which has some chunky riffs, accompanied by atmospheric keys, and some rather deep, intense vocals from Gori. There’s some nice piano work, transitioning smoothly into the bridge, which is slightly more upbeat, before the chorus slows things back down and is very subdued, with both the instrumental work and vocals being melodic, yet fairly calm and laid back. There’s an explosive instrumental section towards the end, where the power metal influences return, but for the most part, it’s a very moody, slow paced track.
The slowest paced and perhaps darkest track on the album, is “Half Mast”, which is largely led by a very nice drum pattern, with a distinctive groove, accompanied by atmospheric keys, light guitar work and even lighter vocals, It’s a very dark, atmospheric track, which slowly builds up towards a heavy, intense chorus, which does speed things up a bit, but it’s still very dark in its sound and lyrical content, as the horrors of war are fully realized. Out of all tracks on the album, it took the longest time to grow on me, due to how slow it is, and how much time it takes to fully build up, but over time I’ve come to realize it’s a brilliant track, both musically and lyrically, and it’s actually one of my favorites on the album. Things start speeding up a bit with “Dreaming Home”, which opens up with a fast-paced instrumental section, with heavy, yet very technical guitar work, speedy drums and upbeat keys. The verse slows things down a bit, but still has an optimistic, upbeat feel to both the keys and melodic guitar leads, as well as Gori’s vocals. The tempo picks up during the bridge, before slowing down for a slow, melodic chorus, with some very emotive vocals from Gori. There’s a brief guitar solo in the middle, with an upbeat power metal feel to it, though things slow down after that, for a more emotional sounding guitar solo, which is one of the best on the album, and it has a very classic prog feel to it.
My favorite track on the album is “Where I Belong”, which again opens up with a blistering fast instrumental section, with fast and furious drums, melodic guitar work and playful keys. As usual, things slow down during the opening verse, which has a mix of heavy guitars and more dramatic keys, mixed with soft, deep vocals. The track has a sorrowful feel to it, as the young man feels uncomfortable and out of place even back home, following his war experience. It alternates nicely between upbeat passages, and slower passages, with the verses having some heavy drums and light vocals, while the bridge is explosive and speedy, and the chorus is slow but very beautiful, with some fantastic vocal melodies, a very emotive vocal performance by Gori. The instrumental section also has a bit of everything, starting off with speedy power metal, before slowing down for more of a prog sound, and then the final, sped up run through the chorus is phenomenal. Closing out the album is “Neverending Thoughts”, which starts off with more heavy guitar work and explosive drums, leading into a fast-paced, heavy opening verse, with epic keys adding extra flavor. The chorus is very slow, melodic, and emotional, while many of the instrumental passages are full throttle, so there’s a nice balance between the two styles, as well as a fantastic solo section towards the middle. The back half of the track has a sequence of voice samples, taken from different movies, which do a nice job of setting the tone for the lyrics and overall sorrowful feel of the track and album as a whole.
As I stated at the beginning of this review, I’ve always liked Flashback of Anger’s music, but I had never been fully impressed with them, up until now. With Prisoner of War, they’ve taken a slightly more restrained, more atmospheric and more emotional approach to their music, while still offering fans plenty of great classic prog infused musicianship, plenty of fantastic choruses, and some traces of speedy, melodic power metal. It’s an excellent album, which showcases the band at their best, and while the more laid back approach may take time for some fans to get used to, I’m sure they’ll come to appreciate it over time. Prog/power metal fans looking for an excellent concept album, would definitely be well advised to give the album a shot, as it’s an excellent album from start to finish.
Ratings: 9/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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