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This is the 2nd CD of former Balance Of Power keyboarder Ivan Gunn and his band Pride. With the debut the British offered a decent hard rock / melodic metal album, now they are back with their no. 2 which is called Signs Of Purity. The music is in the vain of the late 80's / early 90's melodic metal and the bluesy voice of Mat Mitchel fits great to the songs. The album opener Could You Believe shows the direction of the quintet. Actually the CD stuck in my player for days, something the debut didn't do, even if I listened to it again and again. The band found their own identity and for me it seems that they risk more by trying out things which they probably weren't ready for in the beginning. So on Could You Believe it obvious that they leave the hard rock behind and guitar riffing and screaming guitar solos of Chris Green push the limits. They seem to feel more comfortable these days in the melodic metal. Somewhere between Bad English, Tyketto and White Lion... To name just a few. After several spins I can say that 2 songs are my absolute favorites. The track Somewhere Someday is one of these 2 tracks. Why? In the beginning you hear the guitar sound moving from right to left - especially when you use headphones - then the band joins in. An up-tempo one with a catchy chorus. The partly aggressive guitar riffing builds a contrast to the bluesy, emotional vocals of Mat Mitchel. The powerful production of Pete Coleman might partly responsible for the difference between Far From The Edge and Signs Of Purity. Coleman is known for his work with e.g. Paradise Lost, Black Sabbath and Fear Factory. The other outstanding track for me is Learn To Fly. Why? I can't tell. This one just enchanted me. With No Reasons Why they recorded a heavy rocker with touching vocal lines. This one is moving. Make you sing along. Followed by the powerful balladesque tune Say Your Not Lonely. A song which remind me of Bad English. But this one as much as the rest of the material don't sound backdated. They have a modern sound, just stick to the music they love and which was more popular about a decade ago. On Story Of Our Lives bassist Simon Farmery and the guitarist add a funky vibe to the song, but the hook is pure melodic metal. Using elements which are not that much used in this genre adds something interesting. Don't make you feel like you heard it a thousand times. Even if the borders of this genre don't give you much space, but they try to push them a little.
If you like melodic metal, if you liked the mentioned bands, then listen to this one and buy it! It seems like this kind of music is coming back... I hope it does and that I'll get the chance to see the guys live one day.
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