Durbin – The Beast Awakes

7/10

A singer that might forever be in the same league as Blaze Bayley or Tim Owens. Replacing a legend like Kevin DuBrow must have been some shoes to fill.
Whatever the reason things didn’t turn out in Quiet Riot is in the past now and if you thought the QR album with James is a flat bland and smothered thing, take a listen here

What comes to my mind when hearing this is 80s American heavy metal and the thought of the time in QR were made up of “this is what we expect of you to do” instead of what he really wanted to do is present.

But if you cant stand high pitch vocals through a whole album, there are some nice caramels where he sings in his normal voice but still heavy.

As said earlier this is 80S metal but dressed up for 2021.Great musicianship to accompany James singin style. And Frontiers records keeps changing path into not only a label for projects, first Jason Bieler and now this. Even if both might go under the moniker projects in some places I for one don’t see this as a project.

“Sacred Mountains” is a song where he shows he can do much more than sound like those 80s high pitch singers and it still carries on through to the title track “Beast awakens” and I must admit he does his performance more justice when not taking those high notes all the way through the album. And on the title track he finds the heaviness that this album really deserves. This turns out to be one of those album that matures and grows on you as it goes along. And the task of taking out a stand out track song is a bit hard. ”Necromancer” sounds almost fiery. “Riders of the wind” has a touch of Dios most epic and heavier songs.

Putting the albums power ballad third to last was a new to me, doesn´t it usually come on much earlier?

Don’t let his past with Quiet Riot or American Idol fool you. He is doing a great job. Finally it turns out to be a sit back and enjoy a good handcraft album.
Thank you James, you got something here!

Artist James Durbin
Title: The Beast Awakens
Label: Frontiers
Date of release: Out now
Time: 55 minutes
Land of Origin: USA
Rate 7/10
Stand Out track: Riders of the wind , The Beast Awakens