Rating:

Links:

- Official Website

Grudge's Claw is a new band that I had never heard of until I received this single for review, but when I shoved the CD into the player, a familiar voice boomed from the speakers. A closer look at the cover and promo sheet revealed the band's vocalist to be none other than Sami "Texas" Ilvonen, better known for his work with Trinity.

The music of Grudge's Claw is a serious nod to classic 1980's heavy metal in the vein of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. The title track "Vision Weaver" is in presented in two versions, full length (5:11) and radio edit (3:37). I'm not sure about the necessity of the latter, as those Finnish radio stations which play metal (fortunately, there are a few of them around, although there's still much capacity for improvement) usually play longer tracks as well. On the other hand, the more compact version works well enough on its own. The song has an undeniable amount of so-called hit potential, although this band belongs on stage rather than on TV.

The group's "theme song", "Grudge's Claw" may not be particularly memorable but builds up effectively. I think I'd like it better though if some of the noodling had been sacrificed to make room for a nice Maiden-style twin guitar lead, which is now only hinted at for a second or two, about two and a half minutes into the song.

On "Time Machine", Sami demonstrates the softer side of his voice, contrasting with the display of his acknowledged rock shouter abilities during the other tracks. Thumbs up to the Viking choirs in this song - well, I just happen to be into this kind of stuff, but they're actually executed quite well here. But why this song is simply faded out instead of being given the climactic outro it would have deserved is beyond me.

'Vision Weaver' is not flawless, but a solid first offer from a new band featuring a bunch of experienced musicians honoring some of their long-time influences. A special mention goes to the nice artwork by H.J. Villberg.

Eurynome