FALANX
Falanx - Életre Ítélve (Hammer) 2001
1. Ne Kínozz Tovább! (4:09)
2. Velem Születtek (4:27)
3. Bünhödés (4:15)
4. Éltre ítélve (3:53)
5. Viharfelhõk (5:00)
6. Álom Vagy Valóság (4:08)
7. Kétszázhússzal a Pokolba (6:28)
8. Sírig Szerelem (3:59)
9. Nem kell Félned! (4:46)
Falanx are a traditional heavy metal band from Hungary formed in 1993. The band was together for a long time releasing only demos up until this 2001 album titled "Életre Ítélve". I've actually had this album for several years and have held off reviewing it as I wasn't really sure what to say about it. The language barrier is a hard one to overcome. The entire album is sung in Hungarian and being that I can't understand a word of it, I have a hard time really getting into it. Secondly, while the music is well performed, the no-frills heavy metal probably could have used a few more frills. Every time I pull this one out and give it another spin I tend to lose interest in it after a few songs. However, I have found a couple of standout songs. "Éltre ítélve" and "Nem Kell Félned! are the most upbeat songs on the album with guitar riffs that were inspired by "Screaming for Vengeance"-era Judas Priest. "Éltre ítélve", which is mostly double bass driven also features a nice breakdown and Maiden-inspired melodic guitar solo in the middle. The majority of the songs, however, are mostly mid-paced and lack variety from track to track. The vocals are high and clean sounding a bit like Joachim Cans of Hammerfall. I actually don't think this is a back CD, it just lacks much in the way of memorable riffs or lyrical hooks. Of course, as already mentioned, some of that may is due to the language barrier. I'm sure if I understood Hungarian I would find this one a bit more memorable.