Swedish band AIR RAID was formed back in 2009, with guitarists Andreas Johansson and Johan Karlsson as the founding members. They released an initial EP in early 2012, followed by their full length debut album towards the end of the year. “Point of Impact” is their sophomore production, and was released through German label High Roller Records in 2014.
Air Raid belongs to the category of bands that look back in time for inspiration, to a world a bit more naive, a bit more colorful and where metal started to rise to fame as the fitting soundtrack for a world living in the ever present fear of a full scale nuclear war, something that was a part of everyday life back then. I’m obviously referring to the first half of the 1980’s, the last opening half of a decade where a real fear of a new world war was present, to the point of movies being made about how someone accidentally started one. Heavy metal had it’s heyday then, not yet popular in a mainstream sort of way, not yet tarnished by major label money, endless power ballads and the hairspray, teenage girl poster image. Metal was, in lack of better words, more true, more real and a whole lot dirtier.
Air Raid takes us back to those days in an utterly charming way. Tight, melodic riff constructions and more powerful riff barrages, mid-tempo as well as uptempo, bordering speed and perhaps even early thrash metal at the most intense, and sticking a toe or two back to the late 1970’s when relaxing in a slightly slower mode of operation. Flowing, melodic guitar solo runs as well as harmony laced ones have their natural place, with a few tendencies towards more fiery expressions making an occasional appearance. The drums are solid, the bass pumping, when not galloping that is. This is old school heavy metal , and one that has a strong and potent flavoring of NWOBHM when it comes to that. Up to and including a powerful melody based vocalist, and one with a fine control at that.
Comparisons can be made towards many bands, but the strongest similarities of note to me at least was Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Some similarities will obviously be accidental, it is rather difficult to create heavy metal without any traces of the styles and sounds these two bands made famous after all, others comes across as subtle homages to the great old ones.
If you have a desire for new music made in a manner that doesn’t sound too familiar to what you already know about, this album probably isn’t one for you. But if you love and treasure the good, old heavy metal sound from the time just before metal really started to rule the world for a few odd years, then this second album by Air Raid deserves to be given at least a check. An utterly charming production that I kind of guess will have it’s main audience among metal fans on the wrong side of being bald, fat and 40.
My rating: 80/100
