Review of Metalium - Nothing To Undo - Chapter Six

It would seem quite apparent to me that German power metal has finally run its course, becoming little more than a generic parody of its once monumental self. In most recent years, there hasn't been a single noteworthy release from said scene that I can immediately think of other than Aeronautics by Masterplan or maybe Freedom Call's Eternity. The glory days of Edguy, Gamma Ray, and even Blind Guardian have long since passed and the bulk of what has been coming out since around 2002 has mostly been cringe inducing crud. With that said, we'll move right along to the album in question. With the sixth redundant chapter in their increasingly marred studio catalogue, Hamburg's Metalium offer up yet another slab of mediocrity in the form of Nothing To Undo. In the years following their sophomore effort State Of Triumph, the quartet appear to have been at a songwriting stalemate, essentially unleashing disaster upon disaster unto disappointed devotees, leaving everything since to be undone despite what this disc's title proclaims.

With ten tracks clocking in at just over forty minutes, new original music is scarce on Nothing To Undo. I'm guessing that Metalium's lack of confidence led to a gameplan that wasn't so much to compose a collection of quality songs for their fans to enjoy but to write less songs altogether to keep the good to bad ratio a little more balanced. "Spirits" is a fairly decent offering with memorable riffs and a nice mix of time changes but eventually suffers from excessive gang chant type backing vocals, sending it straight into an annoying downward spiral that signals the listener's finger to skip to the next track. Likely the most impressive piece on Nothing To Undo, "Mindless" boasts a soaring chorus that will stick in your head for the remainder of the album, as none of the proceeding songs come even close to matching its majesty. Closing this greatly flawed disc is an outstanding rendition of the famous Queen hit "The Show Must Go On". Comparable to the original version, only heavier, Metalium obviously invested a lot of energy into getting this one just right down to every last detail, leaving me to question why such hard work wasn't put into the rest of the album.

Tallying up the score at album's end, Nothing To Undo ranks very near the bottom of the year's most disappointing releases. With only three acceptable tracks (including the cover) against seven subpar songs, the band's inability to create quality power metal is confirmed. Granted Nothing To Undo is a slight step forward from Demons Of Insanity, with a few decent licks here and there, not to mention the sleekest production they've had to date, it is awfully light on inspiration and actual material, and is not worth your time and/or money.

Release Details

Metalium

Nothing To Undo - Chapter Six

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