The album is a fairly succinct one, so dives right into the action with the anthemic 111 - The Number of the Angels. Without so much as a guitar chord or a blast of pompy keyboards, Bay's voice fills the speakers with the song's chorus refrain. A soaring guitar lead soon kicks in, and the song launches proper with Kott's driving double bass drumming keeping everything ticking. The song is a true Freedom Call classic, with a dynamic verse getting the best out of Bay's voice. The instrumentation often drops out during the verses, leaving the sparkly keyboards to fill the void with an electronic percussion loop; before the song explodes into a fast-paced, stadium-worthy chorus. Some of the band's best choruses for a few years are contained within this album, and the opening number contains one of them. It is an epic AOR-infused moment that is sure to go down well live, and it makes for the first of many stand-out moments here. Spirit of Deadalus, one of the three Rettkowitz compositions here, is a bit heavier and opens with a synth lead before Kott once again comes crashing in with his double bass pedals and Rettkowitz launches into a shredded portion. Keyboards are always a bit part of Freedom Call's sound but, aside from the opening riff, they mostly take a backseat here. They provide depth and warmth, but this is very much a guitarist's piece. Freedom Call could never considered a 'heavy' metal band, but this song is as close as they come to feeling truly weighty. The guitar rhythms have a nice crunch to them throughout, and the drumming never really lets up. Freedom Call are great as they are, but it is nice to hear them toughening up a bit here and laying down something with real grit. The album's title track follows and it is a stomping mid-paced anthem with both Kott and Zimmermann teaming up for a muscular percussive backing that forms the backbone of the song. After two faster songs the mid-paced feel here is welcome, and it is a tune that is clearly built around being played live and being sung by a large crowd. Portions of the verse only really feature the percussive drumming and Bay's voice - which is sure to see lots of fist pumping when played live - with the chorus feeling very similar with the addition of the rest of the band. It is not the most dynamic of pieces, and it is mostly built around a simple idea, but I can see it becoming popular with the fanbase. The Ace of the Unicorn is probably my favourite song on the album, and it features the best chorus here. It is another fairly mid-paced piece, but Bay's rhythm guitar drives everything - while a catchy little guitar/keyboard melody surfaces every so often to add a little magic. The best part of the song however is the chorus, which is a really heroic slab of true power metal. Bay has a knack for writing great choruses, and in my opinion this is one of his best for some time. The hooks are just so catchy, and the subtle use of harmony vocals makes it sound huge. I also love the heavier riff that kicks in before the guitar solo, making this one of the most interesting and varied pieces here too.
Sail Away is the other song to feature Zimmermann on drums, but this time he plays alone. It is nice to hear him playing with the band again, as his last album with the band was 2010's Legend of the Shadowking, and his weighty approach to the piece gives it a heavier feel. It is one of the heavier pieces here, with a gritty mid-paced drive and keyboard textures that at times replicate a gothic choir to some extent, and add a halo of melancholic depth elsewhere. Freedom Call rarely write moody pieces, and compared to a doom band for example this feels positively upbeat, but in the context of a Freedom Call album it feels moody. There is still a heroic chorus however which is extremely catchy, while the slightly darker overall feel makes the song standout from a stylistic point of view. Fly With Us gets back to the 'happy metal' sound the band are more well-known for, as well as upping the pace again with more driving double bass drumming. The guitar leads throughout have something of a folky feel, which helps to add to the overall jaunty vibe of the piece, and the choruses have a shredded guitar lead mixed into the background which really creates some kinetic energy. There are shades of the heavier side of the band too, with the occasional riff veering into tougher territories, but these moments are short-lived. Instead this is a piece that focus on the band's core sound, with lots of the sparkly melodies and speed that has made up much of the band's material throughout the years. One Step into Wonderland is another highlight for me, with a big keyboard riff driving the song and a bouncy chorus once again showcasing the band's modus operandi perfectly. While not as fast as many of the band's classics, it is another anthemic mid-paced track that is packed full of hooks - more than some bands manage to fit into a whole album! The opening keyboard riff is extremely catchy, and it resurfaces during the chorus - which is also a real winner. This is a chorus that begs to be sang, and I think it will be stuck in most people's heads after only a couple of listens. A tasteful guitar solo is the icing on the cake, and helps to rise the track up to one of the best offerings here. Days of Glory, another Rettkowitz composition, is a little heavier again - and unsurprisingly is again very guitar-focused. The twin lead guitars that blaze during the song's intro (after some moody keyboards) are packed with tricky little phrases and melodies, and the tough rhythms during the fast-paced verses are sure to encourage a lot of headbanging if the song is ever played live. I like the song, but it does not stand up as well as many of the other pieces here in my opinion. The chorus, while memorable, is not as catchy as many of the other offerings here.
Wheel of Time is another somewhat heavier tune, with crashing double bass drumming early on backed by a muscular riff, before a heavy verse kicks in with lots of gang vocals and a strong bass presence from Ferraro. This is another song, like Days of Glory, that just lags a little behind many of the other cuts here in my opinion. In truth there are no bad tunes here, but there are a few that just lack the hooks that others have. The chorus here is not as catchy as many of the others, and the heavier feel just does not quite feel natural for Freedom Call. The other heavier songs here work well, but it seems the band was attempting something a bit more progressive and weighty here and it did not quite work. Ironically, given the song's title, parts of the song remind me a little of Blind Guardian. The way the band have attempted to layer choirs in with the main vocals and the slightly more technical overall feel give the song that sort of vibe, but I do not think it quite works. I like the fact that the band have experimented here, but for me it is not one of the album's best cuts. Ronin is the last of Rettkowitz's three offerings, and again it is a fast-paced guitar-centric piece that really whips up some energy throughout its run-time. In fact the song never really lets up at all, with Kott laying into his double bass drums for nearly the entire song, while Bay lays down a strong and heroic vocal performance. The winning chorus formula is back here after a couple of less-interesting efforts, and it shows that Rettkowitz is just as capable of writing a soaring, stadium-filling chorus as Bay is. I like the fact that Rettkowitz's additions to the band's canon showcase a slightly heavier, guitar-focused side to the band, while Bay's hone the core sound. Rettkowitz is the second-longest serving member of the band too, so he has really become Bay's sidekick over the years, and is a big part of why Freedom Call sound as good as they do. The album's final track Sole Survivor is another mid-paced bouncy track with jaunty keyboard melodies throughout and a few really tasty guitar leads which maintain and add to that upbeat feeling. There are better songs here, but it has a really memorable chorus that helps to the song to stick in your head as the album comes to a close. I would not say that the song is as complete as many of the offerings here, as the verses do not hit as hard for example, but the chorus is another winner and the jaunty feelings ensure that the album ends on a high. It a classic Freedom Call-sounding piece, and signs of the band's tenth album in style. Overall, M.E.T.A.L. is another strong album from the band and is probably their best and most-consistent offering for a while. I enjoy all of the songs here on some level, and some of them are up there with the best the band has ever written. I am sure it will be a popular offering with the fanbase, and I expect many of these songs will make it into the band's setlists going forward.
The album was released on 23rd August 2019 via Steamhammer/SPV GmbH. Below is the band's promotional video for M.E.T.A.L..
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