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Maxel.
About PENETRATOR
Maxel Black: Singer songwriter, lyricist, pro vocalist. Maxel is known for his powerful voice and captivating live presence. His previous recording credits include Mastery (The Triad) and Maniacal (Sinkhole to Hell) which features layered harmonic guitar riffs by master shredder Glen Drover of King Diamond/Eidolon/Megadeth.
"Bulldog" Bess Ross: Pro guitarist. Personal guitar tech for Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath during the Never Say Die tour. Bess Ross is a renowned showman, songwriter and producer. His previous recording acts include Anvil, Brawl and Travelin War.
David T Green: Daves thundering bass lines and "in your face" stage presence dont go unnoticed in the Penetrator lineup. Co-writing Penetrator's assault attack style of music is just a part of Dave's talent. Imaginative playing combined with quick wit make him an invaluable part of the band.
When you think of a good, classic representation of heavy metal, and Im talking Priest, Saxon, Overkill or Gamma Ray, what picture do you draw in your mind? If youre a veteran of the genre, a stack of Marshalls ought to float to you automatically, as synonymous to the pure metal musician as a laptop is to the business traveler. Roasted and ridiculed by younger, jaded audiences with no appreciation for where their scene derives from, the sight of a wall of speakers with a flailing Fender or Flying V is so Michael Schenker, so Ace Frehley, so Tony Iommi, so goddamn right.
When I talked with Toronto's Penetrator, bassist David Green called to mind the time he met his new bandmates when they invited him for a tryout. What he found were racks of Marshalls heaped in the basement of this up-and-coming power metal band that was already drawing curious hoverers from the streets outside their practice space. "I was blown away," Green notes in deference to the alluring hardware, and with his new colleagues, vocalist Maxel Black, Bess Ross on guitar and original drummer Simon Vanderzand, this Canadian muscle unit have been dogging their scene with such perseverance their hard work has paid off with a recording deal in early 2005 with Sonic Age Records and the worldwide release of their debut album, 'Penetrator'.
From the opening riffs of the title track, you're wont to think Armored Saint or Racer X. "Spread the Mind" has part Anthrax, part Sabbath kitsch, while the grinding "Guns and Whiskey" practically throws alms in Sabbath's direction. Theres a good reason for this, as Bess Ross is former roadie to none other than Tony Iommi. Iommi's influence can be heard in Ross' magnificent playing, which is not to say Ross is carbon copy. With his classic Fender/Marshall setup, he energetically strums and wails where appropriately, knowing when to pull back and when to, if you'll forgive the pun, unleash the fury. As the acceptance of guitar solos is creeping slowly back into favor, Ross may well become one of those underground figureheads often talked about in metal circles like Nick Bowcott of Grim Reaper or Bobby Gustafson back in the day.
"Muso in a Bottle" is a slinky ditty that may be Penetrator's claim to fame at this point in their early career. Set by the Days of the New-like acoustic-driven verses, the Scorpions-esque power pop chorus glues itself onto the brain, and had it been released in the 80s, it mightve been considered a lost classic.
Vocalist Maxel Black weaves a web of varied pitches, even hitting octaves in King Diamonds league at times, such as on "Shock Therapy". In the manner in which his vocals are presented on Unleash the Fury, one can tell he rages live, and as Penetrator has now signed with Sonic Age, Black's potential will undoubtedly be corralled and refined, and he should be downright lethal as time progresses.
Penetrator runs a gamut of speeds on this disc, from the conventional power grind of "Adulteress" and "Wheels of Justice" or the Maiden-like "Templars of Hate", to the thrashy "Shock Therapy" and the balls-out "Penetrator". As Maxel Black notes, "We go from heavy to thrash, were all over the place. Its not like were trying to find our sound. It just happens". Bess Ross adds, "We put a lot of emotion out there. We dont hold back, were loud and powerful".
They will assuredly lift your brows.
Review by: Ray Van Horn, Jr., Pivotal Rage
PENETRATION FOR THE NATION!!
