Hope - Light of the Salvation

Hailing from Croatia of all places, Hope offers up their third release here of old school thrash metal with some death influences from time to time. I must be honest, while the name "Hope" and the cheesy smiling faces in the band's bio made me immediately think that this would be some lame commercial metal band, I was pleasantly surprised to here them dishing out some pretty decent thrash. 

Combine some Kreator with Destruction with a touch of Avenger of Blood and Extol's thrash side and then knock the production and talent level down some and there you have Hope. The band spends the big majority of this disc unleashing devastating speed-filled thrash riffs (although somewhat repetitive at times), harsh vocals ala Kreator, and some adequate drumming. All is not speed though as the band does show they have the ability to slow the pace and still crush you with heaviness. The also incorporate enough melody and occasional guitar solos to keep this from becoming boring and monotonous. One of the things they do that really doesn't work is the clean vocals used in "Dream Your Dreams." While I realize they were going for a contrast between the verses and the harsh chorus, the plodding pace of the song and slow buildup that never really goes anywhere doesn't help this song from being the least interesting on the disc.

Speaking of interesting though, the lyrics the band pens are pretty good. This concept album tells the story of a man as he lives his journey from being an unbeliever to finally giving his heart to Christ. While that concept has been uses numerous times, the band does a solid job of making their version worth checking out.

In the end, I must say that enjoyed this disc much more than I thought I would. I guess that "not judging a book by it's cover" rings true 
when talking about the band Hope. You can check out their website at the address below and purchase this CD for only $7, postage included. They also have some mp3's you can check out before you buy.

Rating: 67/100

Review By: Matt Morrow

Label: Independent

Total Songs: 9

Total Time: 36:31

Tracklisting: 1. Silver Gods, 2. Mind Over Matter, 3. Jesus Loves You, 
4. In Rememberance, 5. Just a Fantasy?, 6. Light of the Salvation, 7. 
Ad Aeternam, 8. Dream Your Dreams, 9. Metamorphosis.

Best Songs: Tracks 1, 6, & 7.

Band Lineup: Mike - Guitars/Vocals, Suli - Drums, Mika - Bass.

Band Website: http://www.hopemetal.tk