Lorraine Cross: ‘Army Of Shadows’
LORRAINE CROSS
ARMY OF SHADOWS
Released on August 26, 2016 (Mighty Music)
Review:
I know in this day and age, it seems almost common to say “Rock is dead.” Just don’t tell that to France’s Lorraine Cross because for all they care, they are living the heavy metal dream and bringing it to you in all its dual guitar, leather-clad glory. So if you are that metal aficionado that pines for the days of twin guitar leads, the soaring vocals, the sound that makes you instinctively raise your fist in the air while singing along, and you have that drawer filled with all the scarves and bandanas waiting to be brought out and tied about you, well; suffer no longer, pull up a chair and take a listen.
With Lorraine Cross, you get much of the aforementioned criteria, very in line to what Hammerfall put out and with elements of Iron Maiden and Gamma Ray. On a curious note, the bio makes mention of Mötley Crüe being a sound influence which I don’t really hear — maybe for like 10 seconds on some songs. The song,”Don’t Waste Your Energy” may be the closest to that reference. You could call Lorraine Cross very much a Hammerfall lite with the modern sounding feel of Helloween. You get all those elements, and at 12 songs, you could get all that you hope for. However, the album tends to overstay its welcome and doesn’t hold my interest for the long haul. I think that if five or six songs were taken away, that could help bring up the excitement level. I say this because, with the songs themselves, bits and pieces are catchy but overall sort of “ho-hum.” The band members are all proficient and all the key bullet points are touched upon themselves — soaring vocals from Tony and the Iron Maiden-esque harmonies and dual guitar leads — that bring a smile to your face. It’s very much an ’80s power/speed metal dream.
I must make mention of the very well done cover art which portrays the band imagery and ties in very well with the historical reference of the band name and source information which the band derives its context.
Army Of Shadows is a decent submission for the most part and with Hammerfall seemingly lying low as of late, Lorraine Cross can fill the void. Getting back to what I first mentioned about some thinking that “Rock is dead”, it could be more of a US thing and maybe in Europe where I know metal is more predominant and is taken more seriously, Lorraine Cross probably go over much better.
Tracklist:
01. Sharpshooter
02. Black Infantry
03. One Bullet For Me
04. Hard To Get Out
05. Die In Your Arms
06. Target Locked
07. Stray Rocket
08. The Slab Was Trapped!
09. Go To Hell!
10. Don’t Waste Your Energy
11. At Close Range
12. Lorraine Cross
Band Members:
Tony – vocals
Paul – guitars
Florent – guitars
Guillaume – bass
Thomas – drums
Production:
Recorded and engineered by François Merle
Mastered by Tommy Hansen
Websites:
Facebook
Mighty Music
Reviewed by Will “Bones” Lee for Sleaze Roxx, October 2016
Lorraine Cross‘ “At Close Range” video:
Lorraine Cross – At Close Range (Official Music Video)
“At Close Range” is taken from the album “Army Of Shadows”, out 26th of August 2016 on Mighty Music world wide (ex. Japan – released by Bickee music).https:/…