We can’t decide if this is the best or worst record title ever, so it’s fitting that its content wavers similarly between quality in-yer-face heavy metal and pantomime-cackling battiness. So crap it’s good? Or just crap? Or actually decent?
Merry-Go-Round opens on a commanding, atmosphere-building hook – Iron Maiden influences clear in ‘maaad metal-man’ vocals (soaring over the line of good taste with notions of getting ‘ready to rock’ with ‘that elephant cock’). A sophisticated blend of power metal and melodic, classic hard rock prevails in the title track, with a quality solo climaxing in twin-lead action.
Thematically they reach beyond their founding dragons, fire’n’brimstone shtick. Pythagoras, astrology, spiders from CERN spitting venom… or something. Mythological monster mash-ups are never far, though, feasting on children’s ‘salty flesh’. Mwahaha…
There’s not enough stand-out musical mastery, but it’s a step towards the credible metal album they may have in them.
