Air Raid – Across the Line

I’ve had the opportunity here to stand that Heavy Metal is alive and well. Very well, I must say. There are plenty of great bands that keep themselves stick to the immortal art of headbanging. Those bands are the ones who keep the spirit alive, and who’ve taken the torch from many others. Heavy Metal is really a phenomena that are still to be explained. Air Raid are one of the bands that keep the flame.

Covering the ears to haters, and trend critics, for whom Heavy Metal is a dinosaur, Air Raid keep Metal rolling on. “Across The Line” is an album that could’ve been recorded anytime in the 1980s. And I know that’s a major compliment to Air Raid. They will understand what I am saying. A funny thing is that I’ve hearing to many bands that are recreating a style that was neglect in the mid 1980s because of thrash and hair metal bands. Air Raid are not the first who offers us a pure old school Heavy Metal, not NWOBHM, but a sound that bands like Omen, Liege Lord, Savage Grace, only to mention a few, used to do before thrash and hair metal bands stood out. The problem was that they were too heavy for hair metal fans, and too light for thrash metal fans. A big dilemma. But life, who loves controversy, and tragedy, decided to give them another chance.

Air Raid with “Across The Line” really did the homework, thus it is a beatiful effort. Not a commom word for an album, but it fits really good. “Across The Line” really seems an early Yngwie Malmsteen early album as “Rising Force,” but without Yngwie. The guitar duo is very good, and for our’s sake, not as affected as Yngwie. “Raid Or Die” is the track that reminded me most of Yngwie due to its guitar riffing. Great guitarist, one of the best, but affected. The guitar riffing works really nice with creative phrases. The great thing about “Raid Or Die” is that we have the guitar duel that Yngwie would never allow.

But if you think that Air Raid is only that, you’re flat wrong. “Across The Line” offers a lot of emotion to the audience. The path Air Raid took with “Across The Line” is much more diverse, and I must say, pretty conscient. Even though they are very young, Air Raid are a mature band, who are sure of what they’re doing. Songs like “Hold The Flame,” “Line Of Danger,” and “Black Dawn” just to mention a few are hard as rocks. Air Raid are a conscious band. What they did with “Across The Line” cannot be referred as a simple tribute to the golden age of Metal. Air Raid are much more, they are a living proof that Metal is passion, and passion can’t be explained by reason. Fans of the golden age of Metal will enjoy Air Raid easily.

Track Listing:

  1. Hold The Flame
  2. Line Of Danger
  3. Aiming For The Sky
  4. Cold As Ice
  5. The Zone Zero
  6. Hell And Back
  7. Northern Light
  8. Raid Or Die
  9. Black Dawn

Air Raid “Across The Line” will be available on September 29th via High Roller Records.

Watch the official video for “Hold The Flame” here: