Rating: ****
Henry Metal is goofy fun. I've reviewed him here before and I honestly don't know exactly what to make of him. I get that it's campy and it's supposed to be funny but I didn't think the last record was enough of either to really register with me.
Will "War in Heaven" be different? I'm gonna go into it with no preconceived notions and listen to it with fresh ears.
Let's rock!
Watch the music video for "War in Heaven" on YouTube below:
"The Eternal Question" leads us off and I gotta say, I think I like it better than anything on his last album. It rocks hard and has enough funny moments to keep it lighthearted and fun. I'm liking what I'm hearing. "Epic" is hilarious immediately. So tongue-in-cheek that it's reminiscent of Tenacious D at their best. Title track "War in Heaven" is next and it's like King Diamond reincarnated. Epic with enough levity to keep you listening closely to the lyrics to not miss anything. "Daisy" is a more serious affair about abuse. It's admittedly hard to throw something this deep and dark in the middle of such an irreverent outing but it somehow manages to work here. "Nunchaku" is a poppy metal fun, but "Gimme a Break" is a real winner. It's got an early Anthrax or Faith No More vibe and it's funky on an album that has lacked that thus far. Really fun tune. "When Will it Be Enough?" is a fairly pedestrian affair in context to the rest of the album and if there was a track I'd skip it's probably this one. The album ends on "Medusa (aka the 'Dus)" and its methodical pace is good to end on. Solid if unspectacular, it continues the operatic and comical theme that makes this record pretty damn great.
I was skeptical coming in, but I thoroughly enjoyed the latest effort by the always prolific Henry Metal. If you love metal and comedy, this is gonna tickle your fancy something proper. Pick it up.