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METAL MAJESTY – This Is Not A Drill |
Lion Music | |
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Posted: 3/8/05Reviewed by: Dirt Category: Classic Rock /Symphonic Metal/Rock Released: 2004 Label URL: www.lionmusic.com Artist URL: | |
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I guess everyone has heard that Queen is going to head out on tour with Paul Rodgers (ex-Bad Company, ex-The Firm) taking over for the departed Freddie Mercury. Anyone think that he’s an odd replacement? I do. What does this line of thought have to do with my review of Metal Majesty’s This Is Not A Drill, you ask? Well, if the surviving members of Queen had done their homework, they would have offered the lead vocal position to Metal Majesty's Aldous Byron Valensia Clarkson instead. Ya see, Valensia (as he apparently likes to be called) is an absolute deadringer for Mercury. In fact the similarity is scary, so much so, that his existence could start rumors that Mr. Mercury never actually died. You will hear a small vocal part that is very similar to the famous “Bohemian Rhapsody” on “License To Chill” too.
Born in The Hague, The Netherlands in 1971, Valensia is already a very successful solo artist. In 1994, he sold one-million copies of his first single, ‘Gaia.’ Who knew?
Vocally, This Is Not A Drill sounds like Freddie Mercury but musically, while there are hints of Queen piano-wise, the instrumentation has more in common with symphonic metal like Rhapsody. If these comparisons are not enough, the opening track, “Grim Reeper,” sounds remarkably similar to Whitesnake’s “Still Of The Night.”
The Bloody Truth: It’s not very often that a singer is compared to Freddie Mercury. If you are a diehard Mercury or Queen fan, you will either love this album or think it’s a blasphemous rip-off. While Valensia isn’t the most original guy in the world, he does deliver some well-performed songs. Everything is very melodious and the choruses jump out on several tracks.
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