Fatal Force
Unholy Rites

Danish multi instrumentalist Torben Enevoldsen is a busy guy not too long ago it was Fate that took up his time and now it is Fatal Force, seems like Fate plays a role in his musical life. Fatal Force is a trio of Torben, a drummer called Hansen and a singer called Vescera and Unholy Rites is the second album by this name although the band was different at the first album it is the same thing. Thing is though with Torben being part of many different bands/project means that he has to vary his musical stylings to keep each project separate and different from one another as it would tend to feel a bit unnecessary if there was too much similarity between the projects. I myself am familiar with Section A and Fate so I have a baseline to compare Fatal Force with what I have heard from the same guy earlier on.

What strikes me with this album is the way it feels held back and in lack of a better word, average. The production is good with a modern clean sound, it is like a powerful iteration of Fate, and a bit slower, a melodic form of heavy metal. The vocals are quite typical of the genre, slight high pitched and all of that which is quite typical for the genre. The guitars are good but feels a bit restrained and that is what is the case with the entire thing, the album feels like it is restrained in style. The style can be said to be melodic heavy metal with a very modern sound, with a decent sense of variation over the songs as well but also that with a sense of restraint. The whole album feels like a show of restraint, a show of restraint that is 48 and a half minute long over ten tracks.

I think there are good things and there are things less good with this album, as I want to end with the more positive things I will start with the less good things. First of all this album is a bit too similar to the other things I have heard by Torben like Fate or Section A and for me that is a bit of a problem as his projects tend to blend together a bit which is a shame as Torben is a really talented musician and songwriter so he should really blend some of the projects in the same name or explore further avenues of musical creation rather than make several similar projects. Another thing I see as a bit of a negative is that the album is a bit long, the best trio of tracks are in the first four and the last six is a bit less good making the album feel rather long.

Still, despite these niggles this is a very good album no denying that, maybe the lack of new thing and restraint is a bit negative but still it is good and powerful. Also the guitars are flawless and the performances are really good on all accounts, all of them from guitars to vocals, to drums and what have you, also the songs are quite good especially the opening track Run for Cover, the second track which is the title track and the forth track which is called Lessons in Evil, they are all great tracks but the ending tends to be a bit on the long side in my book despite the songs being rather good all the way to the end.

I think this is an album to like, it offers nothing new in terms of music and in terms of style but it has some really good songs, it has a great overall sound and it is a good album that I think one should look into before dismissing it. If you do enjoy melodic heavy metal that is good in its restrained approach you will enjoy this powerful album, so if you like that be sure you check it out.