CHINCHILLA „“Take no prisoners””

Music: Power Metal
Website: www.chinchilla.rocks.de
Good songs: The almighty power, Take no prisoners, Rich hounds
Duration : 43:02 Min – 10 songs
Contact: chinchilla@udo.web.de

Last year I had the pleasure to see a CHINCHILLA live show. I already new the guys by name, but I have never thought it could be real power metal! Somehow I lost the path to the band and although sometimes I read something about the Swabians in different metal magazines, I didn´t dare to listen to the CD. That was a big mistake. I recognized that over one year later. Then I found „Take no prisoners“, the album of the year 2004, in my mailbox and I also recognized that I missed great music during the past! I still know the song „The almighty power“ from their concert, because that stamper belongs to one of the highlights of the whole album! This song won´t leave your ears that fast! Like the introduction song, so the next one: „Death is a grand leveller“. „The call“ also has got full speed. Great double bass playings in „The ripper“, and the title track „Take no prisoners“ mutates to the second catchy tune of the disc. „Lost control“ unfortunately is not that strong like the rest. But this will be compared by „Money talks“ – Sammet-like voice (while „Vain Glory Opera“ times) like you cannot hear better it in any other song… „Stillborn soul“ again is middle-rate, but „Rich hound“ is another killer song and so CHINCHILLA can look back at a bombastic album.
Influences of and the resulting similarity to Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, Edguy´s Tobias Sammet respectively, you cannot deny and so you can imagine that CHINCHILLA are a heavier and faster kind of Edguy. Lively guitar solos of boss Udo Gerstenmeyer and the excellent aggressive voice of Tommy Laasch, who makes it possible that this album is lively and interesting.
A little minus is the evelasting sameness of the band concerning the speed. Nearly every song has got the same speed…
The disc was produced in the House of Music in Winterbach/Germany and also got a little calmer touch. Even the title fits: „Silent moments“. But basically this CD is dominated by fast, pushing pieces. The guitars are again in the front and had the job to produce the original CHINCHILLA sound.
Roberto Palacios, new guy during that time, brought fresh wind into the band. It was also his work that Primal Fear´s Stefan Leibing shot a guitar solo („Money talks“). A successful tour with Saxon was done in 2004.
43 minutes of loaded German power metal and once again one of the main points were the lyrics. Again those are of weaknesses and burdens of mankind. Listen to: „The almighty power“, „Take no prisoners“ and „Rich hounds”.

note: 9/10

Tracklist

1. The almighty power – 3:57
2. Death is a grand leveller – 5:28
3. The call – 3:33
4. The ripper – 4:49
5. Take no prisoners – 3:15
6. Lost control – 4:03
7. Money talks – 3:44
8. Silent moments – 5:21
9. Stillborn soul – 4:51
10. Rich hounds – 3:53

Line-up

Roberto Palacios – Bass, backing vocals
Chris Schwinn – Drums, backing vocals
Udo Gerstenmeyer – Guitars, keyboards
Thomas Laasch – Lead vocals