Review Summary: A decent, if unoriginal, debut from the Swedish power metal supergroup. Had it been released by a less experienced act, New Protection would have received much higher marks.
The term “supergroup” has become something of a four letter word in the rock pantheon. And for good reason; beginning with the short-lived (and surprisingly popular) Cream, the term has been applied to many a band that has promised a jaw-dropping combination of all the best aspects of the members’ previous bands, yet most of the sums of these parts have failed to come close to the members’ older output. Comprised of members of Helloween, Tears of Anger and Xsavior, Ride the Sky is a newly minted power metal supergroup whose slickly produced debut, New Protection, fails to shake the stereotype.
The album takes off at a steady clip with the title track, an upbeat affair with a synthesized string section backing the soaring chorus and melodic guitar work. Catchy riffing abounds in the first half of New Protection, most notably on “Silent War” and “The Prince of Darkness.” The latter track’s eccentric keyboard runs almost make it sound like a lost track from the practice sessions for Dream Theater’s Train of Thought. In fact, many of the tracks throughout New Protection sound like B-sides from the legendary New York prog band, minus much of the pretentiousness and lengthy solos. Granted, this doesn’t keep a few tracks from following the fist-pumping power metal formula; “Corroded Dreams” leads in with massive double-bass and some seriously addictive chugga chugga riffing, and the melodramatic vocals of the album’s lone ballad, “The End of Days,” will prompt many a lighter hoist at the band’s Europe-exclusive shows.
With “The End of Days” comes the album’s halfway mark, which, in turn, brings a realization: while New Protection is undeniably “metal,” it is also undeniably underwhelming given the individual members’ credentials. The closing few songs reinforce this, opening similarly to their predecessors and containing very little to distinguish them from one another. This isn’t to say the album is neither listenable nor well-played, but, had it been a younger, less experienced band’s debut, New Protection would be significantly more impressive. As it stands, it is simply a decent release from a collective that could have done much better.
