Blending classic heavy metal, hard rock, and 80’s hair metal, Striker has been making shredtacular anthems since 2007. The band has toured multiple times across Europe and North America, chosen to open for Metallica in their hometown of Edmonton, AB, Canada along with many festival appearances that include 70,000 Tons of Metal, Wacken Open Air (Germany), Bang Your Head Festival (Germany), and more to add to the almost 1000 shows performed in their decade-plus career. The band has been honoured with multiple Best Album awards in their home country of Canada from the JUNO Awards(The Canadian equivalent to the American Grammy), Western Canadian Music Awards, and the Edmonton Music Awards.

Striker is kicking off 2024 with their seventh studio album “ULTRAPOWER”, which follows their Juno Award-winning self- released full-length “Play to Win” (2018) released on their label Record Breaking Records. The new album also features the band’s latest lineup addition of long-time friend and guitarist John Simon Fallon (The Order of Chaos). For the band’s seventh full-length, they teamed up with producer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, Tallah, King 810), entering the studio in March 2023. With the band writing material since 2018, “ULTRAPOWER” is a collection of five years of Striker tinkering and exploring new avenues.

ULTRAPOWER is the amalgamation of 5 years of writing and exploring music. With influences from AOR to Speed Metal, Hardcore to Hair Metal, Steely Dan to Deathcore, you name it, it made its way into the album. In the end with the help of Josh Schroeder’s guiding hand, we melted it all together to present something uniquely Striker. Lyrically we’ve stuck to the Striker tradition of writing montage songs for movies that don’t exist, songs about our spiraling serfdom, and lyrics about the evils that lurk in the shadows.

STRIKER – About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

Review:

I was fortunate enough to see Striker a few years a go at Metaldays for the first time and what a show they put on. I was instantly captured by their thunderous take on heavy metal and so I am more than excited to have the chance to check out their brand new album “Ultrapower.”

Circle of Evil was one of the first singles to be released of the new album and this track is huge. It starts with a massive choir and evil laughter before throwing us into a fast and furious stampede of face melting riffs. But the thing that stands out the most is the gigantic stomping chorus with chants of the words “Circle of Evil.” I encourage you to turn this track up to get the full effect. What a way to kick of their brand new album!

BEST of the BEST of the BEST is next up and it shows of that Striker are adding different influences into their music. It has a driving riff in the background with layers of synths and woah woahs which it give it a slightly more pop metal vibe. The group chants of the songs title again only add to this pop metal feeling that I get. The last 20 seconds take the song out with classic riffage and a nice high pitched scream. I am not to sure about this one.

Give it All is a mid tempo anthem that sounds like something lifted straight from the 80’s with its hard hitting backbone and spacious sounding atmosphere. It leans more to that 80s rock sound then the traditional metal sound that we all love so much. It even has some saxophone which I am not to sure about but apart from that the track sounds great and it is glossed with nostalgia.

Going from heavy metal to pop metal to 80s rock we now have the fourth song on the album Blood Magic. Opening with some acoustics, and what almost feels like something taken a wild west computer game Striker change the feel of things yet again. The song is a concoction of crushing heavy metal madness, more signature woahs woahs and an insane amount of twisting and ever changing ideas. Throw in stripped back moments that are basically drums, light synths and soft vocals and you have something really unique.

However that is not just it. My favourite part is a colossal guitar pattern that will rip you apart which is then fused together with some guitar tapping from the future. The solos are electric and the musical structure is addictively interesting. I had to go back over and over this song to give you my overall opinion because It is just that good. This would be my 10/10 track by far.

Sucks to Suck channels more woah woahs and has a dirtier, edgier feel. If you had to compare it to the previous track, it feels almost completely opposite in so many ways yet some of the musical sections feel on par with the heavy metal stuff we love. The shouts of the words “Sucks to Suck” really don’t do it for me.

Ready for Anything comes in like rollercoaster with screeching guitars and squeals before returning to that sparkling hard rock/ metal magic we adore. One thing that stands out to me is that Striker have figured out to fuse together different genres so effortlessly and I love the hair metal moments you get especially from the production and the big choruses. The solo comes from the horizons is one of my favourites on the album so far and it feels like dopamine running through your veins. This is a feel good track with a bass line that in the quietest of moments sends shivers down your spine. I love it!

City Calling shouts hey right at you before introducing you to voices of the future. Once again Striker combines various musical influences and shows that they are not afraid to experiment. It has velvety moments, silky vocal lines and drums that trip and tumble along creating what is a very wholesome track. It is hard rock, its metal, its slightly I guess poppy at moments. Another song that strong yet delivers.

The electricity sparks and Turn the Lights Out ignites. This is an evil and fierce track that storms along taking out anything that gets in its way. The group vocals perhaps feel a little punky but once again the guitar work gives a nice injection of adrenaline that keep things going. This is a straight to the point whirlwind of a song.

Striker gives us the song Thunderdome and turns on the swagger. This is another one of the those songs that is as they describe it like a montage for unwritten movies. It has that ego of 80s rock sounds you would expect from bands like Guns N Roses combined with moments that feel they are lifted from a movie from our childhood. The verses which are made up of a light distant choir and lead vocal simply lift you off the ground and take you beyond the heavens. The choruses are made of layered group vocals, tambourine jingles and a loving warmth that takes over your body. Absolutely brilliant.

Live to Fight Another Day transports us back in time once again to the 80s. This really made me laugh and smile in so many ways because I really can not get my head around this album. It has a deep pulsing synth line that is paired with other synths that make you feel like your floating above the clouds. This is a song that makes me think of an 80’s sci-fi classic. The choruses are ridiculously catchy to the point I felt I was locked into an unbreakable spell. There are so many glorious and glimmering layers I find it hard to describe this track. All I can say is wow!

Brawl at the Pub brings us loads of attitude and more of those lead vocal shouts which feel like they have been brought over from other genres. They for me just don’t do it. And it is a shame as the music in this song is kick ass like many of the tracks on the album. But it is not as stand out as other tracks

Conclusion:

I literally have no idea how to come up with a conclusion or even score this album. Striker are seriously good musicians and have written an album that is bold, daring and as mentioned shows a band that are not afraid of fusing styles of music together.

The tracks that I guess are more “hardcore” or grittier if you want to describe it that way for me feel to far out of place. But then again the album is rammed so full of absolutely killer tracks, I feel they do the album justice. Tracks like “Give It All,” the epic “Blood Magic” and “Ready For Anything” lead the charge and set everything ablaze in the first half of the album. While “Thunderdome and “Life to Fight Another Day” take charge in the second.

The album certainly explores everything that the band mentions. From heavy metal and glam, to 80s rock, punk and hardcore it is all there is some way or another. And Striker show off that the are truly masters of writing songs that are montages made for unwritten films! Despite the few tracks that are bit meh to me, there are simply to many high quality songs on this album that simply blows me away. This is a polished, highly refined album with top quality production!

TheNwothm Score: 9/10

Release date: February 2, 2024 via Record Breaking Records