Mad Max is a heavy metal band from Germany, forming in 1982, releasing their debut E.P. ‘In Concert’, later the same year. In a career spanning four decades, Mad Max has released fifteen studio albums – with their latest ‘Wings Of Time’, a 2022 release.
Back in the day when Mad Max first formed, heavy metal and hard rock were very much under the same banner, with genres such as power metal and melodic rock yet to be created. Mad Max‘s brand of metal come rock is highly melodic, and across the new album’s eleven songs, the band also incorporate the classic sound of AOR. I found the band’s previous album ‘Stormchild Rising’ to be heavier and much more metal than ‘Wings Of Time’. But that’s the great thing about Mad Max – diversity and variation in abundance. Even after forty years, the band may be too hot to handle for some fans! But for me, who has handled a phenomenal amount of hot metal and rock over the years, I have developed a high tolerance for heat! Just as well really, for Mad Max to explode into life with the red hot ‘Too Hot To Handle’. And a scorcher of a heavy-hitting riff! The kind of riff that immediately gets your head and feet moving in rhythmic unison. ‘Too Hot To Handle’ is one hell of an opener – and one that’ll surely embellish the band’s new singer to their army of fans.
Maintaining the album’s incredible start, ‘Days Of Passion’ picks up the tempo and strides on with a bold authority, assuming the mantle of a heavy rocker, keeping heads nodding and feet tapping. And despite the band four-decade career, the levels of energy and passion remain sky high, much higher I have to say, than many of the newer bands today! A much heavier tone greets the ears with ‘A Woman Like That’, hitting the ground hard and causing minor earthquakes around the globe. And the chorus – sings a long-able to the max. What an in-concert sing-a-long that’ll be! Without dropping the energy and oomph, the album rolls on with an eighties pop metal feel, courtesy of the very attractive ‘Best Part Of Me’. Massively melodic and insanely infectious, ‘Best Part Of Me’ genre hops to become a bit of a party animal, taking a scenic route through soft rock and AOR – and AOR is where we stay for ‘Rock Solid’. A much mellower song than anything heard so far, Mad Max shows their softer side, creating a majestic “slow dance” feel. And with the addition of female vocals, courtesy of singer, songwriter and vocal coach Julia Salm, the ambience of ‘Rock Solid’ swings to dreamy. One of the (many) highlights of the album.
And now back to heavy-hitting hard rock.
In the mighty shape of ‘The Stage Is For You’, Mad Max begins to shake the ground with a blend of rock come metal, the metal heads of the world beginning to nod their heads harder and harder – ‘The Stage Is For You’ a boundary-breaking slab of heavy music. The party feel of earlier makes an emphatic return with ‘When It Stops’ waking up even the most tired of partygoers! You know the moment – just when a party needs an injection of energy to keep it alive, enter Mad Max and ‘When It Stops’. The party ain’t over yet peeps! The band rocking hard, and all night too!
Bringing the heaviest feel of all to the album, ‘Stormchild Rising’ storms off in a metal direction, increasing the pace to a gallop, echoing the “foot on the monitor” style of traditional heavy metal. The band are in full flight here, with metal heads raising their fists high in the air to salute a scorcher of a song.
And by contrast, ‘Heroes Never Die’ slides into sight on the crest of serenity – the mellow feel of earlier making a dramatic return. ‘Heroes Never Die’ is a lighter-raising power ballad of ginormous proportions. So let’s all join in the swinging from side to side and raise our arms high to salute an emotionally charged song delivered in just the right mood. And upping the tempo ten-fold, ‘Miss Sacrifice’ thunders in and stomps heavily as it runs the gamut of rock and metal nuances. A highly catchy and sing-a-long chorus maintains the involvement of listeners and concert goers, with Mad Max teaching many of the younger bands how to keep the interest of their audience. And amazingly, we arrive at the final song – I’d lost track of all time! The album so addictive it keeps your attention from the off and never let’s go.
‘Freedom’ is another mellow song, bringing forth an air of a warm down after physical exercise – which in a way is what ‘Wings Of Time’ has been. There has been plenty of head nodding and head banging, feet tapping and arm waving, and an ear workout that has been very pleasurable.
Overall, a hard-rocking, heavy-hitting album of infectious songs that’ll keep your attention from start to finish.
TRACKLIST
Too Hot To Handle
Days Of Passion
A Woman Like That
Best Part Of Me
Rock Solid
The Stage Is For You
When It Stops
Stormchild Rising
Heroes Never Die
Miss Sacrifice
Freedom
Mad Max: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
