I know this gets said in metal a lot… but this is a killer album! Peacemaker is one of those rare heavy metal super groups that manages to transcend the typical trappings of metal super groups. No musical identity crisis here, no schizophrenic pull of different musical visions… just “rip yo face off” metal with a coherent style that is old school yet not stale. For those that don’t know, Peacemaker is Ronny Munroe (Metal Church, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Scott Miller (Tango Down), BJ Zampa (House of Lords, Yngwie Malmsteen, Obsession), and Rc Ciejek (Belladonna). Whew! That is some intense lineage right there. Most of those bands you probably know, but if you aren’t familiar with Tango Down – their album Bulletproof was one of the bigger surprises of 2016 for me (and many others judging by several year-end “Top 10” lists). Peacemaker is a focused mix of trash ferocity with power metal riffage backed by tight songwriting and musicianship. Ronny Munroe proves why he was a part of the legendary Metal Church for so many years. Scott Miller plays riffs like a hungry young shred master that time warped out of the 80s. And the rhythm section of BJ Zampa and Rc Ciejek are the right mix of precision and passion – as a bass player myself, I don’t say that lightly. Some bands sacrifice precision musicianship for passion, and others are so precise that the passion is sucked out. But really, the whole band hits a sweet spot on that front. Not sure what exactly inspired Matthew Hunt of Retroactive Records fame to start Brutal Planet Records for bands like Peacemaker and Tango Down… but I am sold!
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