• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

I reviewed Cain's Dinasty's first album years ago and found it to be interesting if nothing else. It wasn't spectacular, but it had a unique flair to it and didn't sound like anybody else. As a debut, it had a lot of potential, and there were some really good songs on it. Now we have their newbie, the elaborately titled Madmen, Witches and Vampires, and it isn't quite up to par.

So the CD art only has one scantily clad vampire chick as opposed to three, which is a sign of greater maturity, perhaps. The band can still play, maybe even better than ever, as is evident on any number of well constructed power metal romps on here, but where are the hooks? Some of the leads and melodies are genuinely dramatic and intense, and "Waiting for Death" is an enjoyable tune, but a lot of these songs fall flat, as there are no unifying hooks to make them really catchy or memorable. The second half of the album sinks into a slew of increasingly shorter and less interesting songs and pretty much ends with a whimper.

I think the main problem is main man Ruben Picazo, who on the last album sounded really inspired, but here just seems kind of restrained and bored. His vocal lines are never really memorable or engaging, they're mostly buried beneath the guitars anyway and he's pretty much cut back on the over the top screams and growls that made the last album so much fun, so what are you really left with?

So this is a bit of a sophomore slump from Cain's Dinasty. I really like the idea of vampire power metal, and I hope these guys come back with the scorcher of an album I know they can deliver, but this one isn't it. Subpar, although it is at least still original.