Formed in 1989 German metallers Brainstorm have been around the scene for years, always on the fringes and always waiting for the big-time.  Quite what the big time is in this day and age with the music scene in a mess is hard to say but I guess if you’ve managed to sustain a 20 year career then you must be doing something right.  That said this is my first taste of the band, despite having known the bands name for years I never got round to checking them out.  It seems the band have been through a number of line up changes over the years and apparently hit their stride with the addition of vocalist Andy B. Franck in 1999, since then they have released a succession of albums and seen their stock rise in the melodic power metal genre.

As stated this is my first experience of Brainstorm and I rather enjoyed it.  Whilst pedalling stock German metal with power metal influences the sound here is along the lines of Primal Fear, Silent Force and touches of Judas Priest the music is good if not spectacular there is enough originality within the genre’s walls to keep it from sounding stale.  Vocalist Andy B. Franck seems to peddle a ground similar to that of Rob Halford and DC Cooper yet without their range and some pitch problems to boot too yet has come up with an array of interesting melodies. 

6 minute plus opener “Forsake What I Believed” kicks things off in fine style, “Shiver” then sees the quality drop somewhat with the aforementioned vocal issues although musically it’s a nice charger.  “The Conjunction Of 7 Planets” is another sprawling epic, and once again is a strong composition holding my interest throughout with a great chorus.  “Cross The Line” is fast Teutonic metal, the likes it seems German are born with in their blood, yet rather faceless in truth.  “Nailed Down Dreams” sees the tempo drop back to mid-tempo lands, yet aside from the chorus has little to get excited about. “Blood Still Stains” is arguably the highlight with an original riff working across a nice pattern with a nice dark mystical vibe. Here the whole band seem to gel into a formidable unit and this is one I never get tired of hearing.  “Ahimsa” is back to the stock power metal garb and something you have heard a thousand times before by most bands in the genre.    “The Final Stages Of Decay” is more American in its approach for the main riff but plays around with the formula making strong use of light and shade.  “Victim” is solid enough, with modern brutal riffs which is mostly successful, although the vocal sit a little uneasy here.  “When No One Cares” is again a mixed bag, nice riffs, disjointed verse melodies rectified by a strong chorus.  The album closes on a high with another high tempo stormer in “Would You”, again not exactly original it is however still a strong slice of melodic power metal and is a nice way to finish the album. 

For the most part “Memorial Roots” is a solid album.  Its not spectacular and and a number of tracks seem to lack the magic that make other tracks tick.  The musicianship is good with the riffing of guitarists Milan Loncaric and Torsten Ihlenfel being strong but after several listens I cannot remember any solos, they are here just rather bland and faceless.  The production is by Miro and Sascha and is relatively spotless, powerful and full, its easy to see why these 2 guys are the “go to guys” by the power metal elite.  I have still yet to make up my mind on vocalist Andy B. Franck whose approach works well in places then leaves you questioning it in others.

Overall a solid effort and probably likely to please fans of the band.