I thought Persuader was dead. I mean since their bombastic debut album The Hunter (2000) Persuader turned off the radio. The most promising band after Blind Guardian - that's what I think each time I listen to The Hunter - is finally back. Lound 'n' Proud Records had a jewel in their hands when they signed Persuader, but they went bankrupt ... and The Hunter is practically impossible to find in store now. I suppose The Hunter will be re-released in due time. Persuader wasn't very lucky when they signed with LNP ... but you know luck and faith have common words : hard work !

In 2002, Persuader wins the contest Young Metal Gods (Seven magazines from six European countries asked their readers to send in demos, the only criteria being all bands must be unsigned and have a maximum average age of 23 years. All styles of Metal allowed. check youngmetalgods.com). Honestly, when I saw Persuader participating at this contest, I knew for sure who would win. I mean, I bought The Hunter a long time ago and I know the potential of the band. So does Noise Records now ;)

Under a solid new label banner, Persuader enters in studio with Piet Sielck (Iron Savior) and records Evolution Purgatory. The bombastic heavy/power metal trademark that knock me in the face on The Hunter is still alive : a cocktail of thrash/power/speed/heavy metal at the same time. The music is twisting all over : bombastic, brutal, aggressive ... suddenly quieter ... and here we go again at full speed. The song-writing is quite complex and many spins are required if you want to discover the magic behind each track. In other words, if you are a fan of Blind Guardian (Tales From The Twilight World) Persuader is exactly what you need. Persuader is a kind of "thrashy" Blind Guardian version, walking sometimes on In Flames' ground (guitar riffs). Of course, the fact that singer Jens Carlsson reminds you immediately Hansi Kürsch and considering the vocal arrangements (excellent production !), your mind directly spots Blind Guardian.

Strike Down, the opener, grabs you by the balls with its explosive tempo, its bombastic chorus ; this is a roller coaster pointed right in your face. The enormous production "à la" Iron Savior explodes you also in the face. What can I say about Sanity Soiled, the second track ? The chorus gets printed in no time and if you don't recognize Blind Guardian on this one, you never will ;) . The other missiles are : Masquerade (Blind Guardian meet Running Wild), Godfather (a power metal version of Blind Guardian), Turn To Dust (Blind Guardian meets Iron Savior), Passion/Pain (I like the In Flames riff), Raise Hell, To The End, Wipe Out. Even the new version of Fire At Will - the opener on The Hunter - is a success.

After the first spin I was a bit disappointed; the right word to use here is "disoriented". Even though Evolution Purgatory is somehow the "logical" follow up of The Hunter, this record is two thousand times more complex and the listener need time to find the path. But once the path is discovered, the album crush you from the inside. I played this one twenty times this week and Evolution Purgatory continues to grow inside me, continues to reveals new doors, new ideas. In fact, after each new spin, I need to play it again ... it became a drug. The trademark of an excellent album ;)

Are you a fan of Blind Guardian's first records ? Do you like Children Of Bodom's song-writing (Persuader avoids the verse/chorus/verse/chorus trap) ? Do you like In Flames' thrashy riffs (Clayman) ? Do you like bombastic chorus like Iron Savior, Hammerfall or Wizard use to ? If the answer is yes and if you are a fan of heavy/power/thrash metal, here comes the Holy Grail. Its name ? Evolution Purgatory. Now I let you run to the outside door ;)

That's a long time I haven't used these words ... and this is the perfect and right place to write them down again : Buy or be ignorant forever !!!