Album Review: Battle Beast – No More Hollywood Endings (Nuclear Blast)

Finnish heavy metallers Battle Beast have announced their new album ‘No More Hollywood Endings’ will be released on March 22nd 2019 through Nuclear Blast Records!

Keyboardist Janne Björkroth stated about the forthcoming record, “The heavy songs are heavier, pop-delights brighter, rock vibes stronger, and sounds richer than before. The emotional scale is wider, and everything is bigger. Stay tuned for 2019!”

Bombastic power metal, Battle Beast’s super clean sound is very appealing. The high tempo opener of Unbroken gets the blood pumping before the title track adds folksy elements which land impressively.

However it’s the following Eden that really sparks the album to life. The exceptional vocals alongside a catchy beat is perfectly powerful and a highlight of the record. Then we get Unfairy Tales, a fairly dull and unexciting track before Endless Summer creates some feel-good moments. Another track that shows off the fantastic vocals of Noora Louhimo.

The album is kept moving in the right direction with the powerful energy of The Hero and Piece of Me. Some extra growl to the vocals and excellent guitar riffing/soloing puts these near the top of great Battle Beast tracks. It’s the faster, dynamic and concentrated tracks that are often the better moments of No More Hollywood Endings. The slower, more melodic tracks just fail to spark much in the way of interest as highlighted by I Wish. A sweet enough sounding track but utterly forgettable.

That’s not the case with Raise Your Fists, The Golden Horde and World on Fire. A trio of tracks that ensure No More Hollywood Endings finishes on a high. With the odd flat track overall, Battle Beast haven’t quite managed to create a power metal album for the ages here but with way more hits then misses it’s more than worth checking out.

Battle Beast – No More Hollywood Endings Full Track Listing:

1. Unbroken
2. No More Hollywood Endings
3. Eden
4. Unfairy Tales
5. Endless Summer
6. The Hero
7. Piece of Me
8. I Wish
9. Raise Your Fists
10. The Golden Horde
11. World on Fire

No More Hollywood Endings will be available via all major streaming services on release.