• "Atmospheric power metal debut from South Korea": A review of Maverick's "Enigma"

    Dear Readers of my blog!

    Here comes another curious musical gem I have discovered during my summer vacation. Maverick is talented South Korean duo with a weakness for atmospheric European power metal. Check these newcomers out, purchase their music and spread their name.

    Enjoy your summer!

    Greetings from Germany,

    Sebastian Kluth

     Maverick - Enigma (2015)

    Maverick is a new power metal duo from Ulsan, South Korea that released ist debut EP "Enigma" in July 2015. The record includes five solid tracks inspired by atmospheric and epic European power metal acts in the key of Helloween and traditional heavy metal acts like Iron Maiden. What makes this band stand out is the fact that Kang Woo-been plays all instruments on his own while his colleague Kim Dong-kwan performs all vocals. Another outstanding element are the Korean lyrics which are still something unique in a globalized metal scene. The band has a somehwat mellow sound which reminds me of Epiclore from Finland but this doesn't mean that this duo is lacking conviction. On a side note, a positive comment should also be made about the original cover artwork.

    There are a lot of positive and negative elements about this release. Let's start with the negative ones. First of all, Kim Dong-kwan's vocals sound quite androgynous which makes them sound unique but everything but easy to digest. In my opinion, he has the potential to develop his very own style and has some skillful talent but he doesn't fully employ it on this release yet. His vocals sound thin and even though he manages to hit quite high notes, it sounds slightly painful and not as effortless as it should be in a perfect case scenario. Another weakness is the thin drum sound which sounds a little bit as if it came from a computer. I have no clue if that's really the case but the production of the drum sound could have been a little bit more organic in any case. A last negative comment concerns the song writing itself since none of the five songs manages to stand out and leave a deeper Impression.

    Still, Maverick do a lot of positive things as well. The melodic guitar play is well executed and this band's obvious strength. The calm introductions, the powerful riffs in the verses and the emotional solos in the middle parts are all played with passion and talent. The tracks also have a heart and soul. The guiding line of the five hypnotizing tunes is a longing, melancholic and almost romantic feeling at times. One can feel the positive vibes behind this honest performances. While none of the songs stands out, there isn't any filler or stinker on this release either. This album has a great flow from start to finish and definitely offers five good melodic power metal tracks.

    There aren't many convincing heavy and power metal acts from South Korea and I highly encourage this talented duo to carry on and release more material soon. These guys do have the inspiration, passion and talent to deserve some recognition. If the artists manage to work on their many obvious strengths and fine-tune their production, song writing and vocal efforts, they could easily become one of the few outstanding genre bands from their country.

    Please support the band and check out the following link:

    Bandcamp: http://kormaverick.bandcamp.com/Releases

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