"Agony of death" CD by Holy Moses

by Björn Thorsten Jaschinski (15.09.2008) At this year’s Wacken Open Air, you could see Ferdy Doernberg on the big screens playing his keyboard - but you couldn’t hear him. Many Holy Moses fans found that very strange. Their tenth album (finally available after some delays) surprisingly contains some synthetic sounds - but only in those weird interludes which add considerable length to the tracks. During the actual songs, the two axe men take over and fascinate us with soli, but also team spirit when necessary. Michael Hankel stands out with his distinct feeling for the right tunes (without going overboard) and manages to add some variety to the riffing. Sabina’s voice, like always supported by shouts, is barely recognizable as female - sometimes, she even sounds like Martin van Drunen on the first two Pestilence albums. This balancing act between Thrash and Death Metal now includes some modern Swedish bits and even some classical motifs.