If nothing else, no one can say that Scanner release music by the pound. “The Cosmic Race” is only their seventh album in a 37-year long career. I know, you’ll tell me that the band was practically extinct from the release of “Scantropolis” back in 2002 until 2015 and “The Judgement” but they never officially broke up so it doesn’t count as a hiatus.
Little does all this matter since the band returns with another great album in the heavy/power metal genre. Speed metal is absent here but that’s a description that didn’t stick until practically only in their early days. “The Cosmic Race” is a return to more familiar compositional paths for the band. After all, we are dealing with a concept album with a strong element of science fiction.
Axel AJ Julius may be the only member from the very first moment of the band’s life, but here he works his magic with his excellent guitar playing as always. Important is also the fact that his companion since 2003 is Efthimios Ioannidis on vocals. Now that I think about it Efthimios is also the longest lasting singer of the band.
Musically moving, “The Cosmic Race” is clearly closer to the more classical sound that the band adopted on their previous album rather than the more technical days of the past. There is a variety in speed and when that drops the material becomes quite hard. Of course, there are several compositions that are tailor made for live performances and audience participation such as the opener “The Earth Song” and my awesome and favourite “Warriors Of The Light”.
Like their previous album the compositions are much more stripped down but not simplistic. I don’t know how much time the band worked on them but they are definitely quite thoughtful. The production helps a lot as it is quite modern but not stuffy. To all the above I have to add the beautiful cover of the album.
“The Cosmic Race” is an excellent choice for fans of the classic German sound in the heavy metal genre.
