Year: 2019
Total Time: 43:45                                                       
Label: Ram It Down Records

Eight years have passed since the debut of MERGING FLARE, a normal fact, if we consider how many other projects the band members are running. Kasperi Heikkinen was still playing with AMBERIAN DAWN during the release of MERGING FLARE’s debut and shortly afterwards, he was the guitarist of U.D.O. In addition, singer Matias Palm and bassist Harri Leinonen have also participated in many bands along MERGING FLARE.

So let’s see what their new album “Revolt Regime” has to say. The album’s opener “Trailblazer” has a clear ACCEPT, MAIDEN and PRIEST influence, an up-tempo “show of strength” of the band with melodic vocals, similar with the “big ones” mentioned above. “Alliance In Defiance” is a piece that encompasses the essence of Heavy Metal in its four and a half minutes. “Clarion Call” begins with a dynamic dirty riff and tells us a story of the “Viking” days, leaving you with a sense of “live free or die with honor.” “The Abyss Of Time” has a theatrical feeling, along with some vocals of a similar style.

This second release by MERGING FLARE, “Revolt Regime”, the successor to the 2011 debut “Reverence”, was definitely worth the wait. The Finns have created a classic Heavy Metal album. For the mix of “Revolt Regime”, the band hired Mattes Pfeiffer, whom Heikkinen met during the recording of the two albums he made with U.D.O. Mastering was done by another metal legend, Stefan Kaufmann (formerly Accept). The beautiful cover is a work by Roman Ismailov.

Overall, a good addition for all those who love the good Heavy/Power Metal sound!

Rating: 7/10
Editor: Fanouris Exintavelonis
Related Link: MERGING FLARE – Official Page