The core of Heel; vocalist David Henriksson (Ex-Insania Stockholm) and guitarist Marcus Eliasson has been together since 2003, and 'Chaos and Greed' is Heel's sophomore album. And when the album kicks off with a very traditional Swedish Power Metal tune, where nothing besides a cool guitar solo stands I thought I might be in for a long haul.
"Crusader" continues down the same path, followed by a cheesy ballad, and the clear limitations in David’s voice are very clear in "Taste of Steel"... YAWN! But then lightning strikes and the style and sound transforms...
The rest of the album is harder and heavier, has better crafted songs and makes up for a poor start. These last nine songs have all the ingredients you want in a traditional Swedish Power Metal album, and even though the production could be better and the album might need some time to sink in right.
A bit uneven, but once they tune the guitars down a bit the true face of the band becomes evident, just listen to "Kingdom Comes" or "Save Our Souls" and if that's not enough to convince you then wait to the last two songs, which happens to be the two strongest of the lot... and I suggest that fans of Morgana Lefay, Insania Stockholm, Nocturnal Rites, Stratovarius and even Veni Domine should at least give this one a listen.
