Enertia
Force
6.9
Unless you’re from upstate New York, the name Enertia probably won’t mean anything to you. If you are, then these guys are old news, as they’ve been plugging away as a successful local band for eight years. During that time Enertia has self released three albums and toured their asses off, playing close to 500 shows. Not bad. Consistency and dedication paid off when they were signed for fledgling label Animated Insanity. Force is Enertia’s first album for Animated Insanity, as well as the label’s first release. This is the first Enertia album in five years, following 1999's Flashpoint, and this time around the band gets a boost from Neil Kernon’s (Nevermore, Queensryche, Dokken) production.
Enertia play good old fashioned American metal--traditional power metal with some occasional thrash riffs and prog ideals. It’s a familiar sound, and there is nothing here that you haven’t heard before, but the band’s charm comes from their honesty and enthusiasm. That and the fact that Force is a fairly well executed album. The musicianship is very solid throughout the band, and Roman Singleton’s blistering old school solos are especially pleasing. Front man Scott Featherstone has a great voice with tremendous range, a talent that separates the band from most others. I did find, however, in places some of the performances were a bit over the top and oversold. In particular, the ascending/descending vocal melodies in “The Sky is Falling” don't seem too many steps from one of the spot-on satire songs done by the South Park guys. There are other moments when Enertia don’t get it quite right, but usually the songs work well. The band uses some interesting time signatures and, thankfully keeps a mid to up-tempo pace throughout the album. No lame ballads here (please take note, Iced Earth). The stronger songs on the album include the opener, “Time to Go”, as well as“Hole in the Head” and “Bleed.” Again, nothing earth shattering here, just good solid metal with all the fundamentals in place–heavy riffs, explosive leads, driving rhythms and strong melodies.
Enertia is a band that has certainly paid their dues, and their hard work is beginning to be rewarded. Force isn’t a world beater, but it’s a solid album that will be worthwhile to fans of traditional American made power metal. No corpse paint required.
