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Curious little item here from German hard-hitters Redkey, a band featuring both Sascha Paeth on guitar and old Heavens Gate vocalist Thomas Rettke behind the mic. The only album they have cut so far, the ball-busting Rage Of Fire, pretty much sums up the German scene to a degree, and if you like your metal in the rivet-pissing Primal Fear, Accept, Grave Digger, and Rage mould, I can guarantee you'll like this. Big, heavy riffs, piercing high vocals, hammering double kick drums – everything you want in a band like this. Though Redkey aren't afraid to mix things up; there are some dark moments throughout Rage Of Fire, some which veer off into prog territory, and when the speed ratchets up, things flirt with the nicer, more melodic side of the genre.

The production is thicker than a fortress of brick, and every track has something to kick your teeth in. There's not an overly large display of technical ability at play, but you can't deny the presence of someone like Sascha Paeth on axe-slinging duty. Rettke provides a good vocal throughout, stretching himself to bursting point, but never letting his intensity slip, and we even have a guest appearance from Tobias Sammet on epic closer "The Fortune", which sounds almost nothing like the rest of the album, leaving you uneasy.

There are some great Priest-esque killers here, particularly "Gone Too Far", with its contagious backbeat; but in other places we have "Easy Way Out", which pumps you with a simple riff before getting to a spiteful Jon Oliva-esque chorus, and even the title track, which opens the album, gives you a well-needed kick to get things going. Rage Of Fire isn't going to win awards for its originality, but it fulfils the criteria nicely. So if you're after a no-frills blast of simple German Power Metal, break out the denim jacket and make room for another patch. Let Redkey fill it in.