Pretty Maids - Planet Panic


Year of Release: 2002
Label: Massacre Records
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 41:43:00

To my knowledge Pretty Maids was formed in 1981 and their first demo was recorded in 1982. This leads to the conclusion that this year should be 20th anniversary celebration, perhaps?

Indeed the band has been around for a very long time and after two decades of song-writing Pretty Maids are still not coming of age. To the contrary, these rockers are cranking it up rather than slowing it down. Planet Panic presents the heaviest, darkest and most aggressive outburst these Danes have produced in years. The album contains 10 songs and 3 of those have been fuelled with sheer double bass (with lots of melody). Further you'll find 5 mid-tempo numbers, guitars all around which brings back memories of the heavy and crunchy days of Red, Hot And Heavy or the heavier moments of Future World. I guess one of the reasons for this aggressive morphing lays in the events of September 2001, at least the opener track "Virtual Brutality" which unmistakably points in that direction. That song also brings in some very modern scratching effects that fit quite nicely, but the band made a wise choice in keeping the experimentation to one song only. This leaves us with 2 ballads of which "Natural High" takes the cake as the power-ballad/love song of the album.

Original members, Ken Hammer (g) and Ronnie Atkins (v) wrote all the songs apart from the cover "One Way To Rock" (Sammy Hagar) and original member Alan Owen is credited with playing all the keyboards, leaving bass duties for Kenn Jackson and Michael Fast on drums. The album also sounds heavier in the production (handled by the band) with nice fat guitar sounds.

Pretty Maids have remained very melodic and accessible but Planet Panic is definitely not as happy sounding as their last album Carpe Diem and leans on the heavier days of the band.

Similar To: PC 69, Rage

[This review originally appeared November 2002 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]


Tracklisting:
Virtual Brutality / Playing God / He Who Never Lived / Face Of My Enemy / Not What You Think / Natural High / Who's Gonna Change / Worthless / One Way To Rock / Enter Forevermore

Musicians:
Ronnie Atkins - vocals
Ken Hammer - guitars
Kenn Jackson - bass
Alan Owen - keyboards
Michael Fast - drums

Discography:
Pretty Maids (1983)
Red Hot And Heavy (1984)
Future World (1987)
Lethal Heroes (1990)
In Santa's Claws (ep) (1990)
Sin Decade (1992)
Offside (ep) (1992)
Stripped (1993)
Scream (1994)
Screamin' Live (1995)
Spooked (1997)
Back To Back ... The Best Of... (1998)
Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing (1999)
Carpe Diem (2000)
Planet Panic (2002)
Alive At Least (2003)

Genre: Melodic Metal

Origin DK

Added: January 17th 2005
Reviewer: Peter Fundeis
Score:
Artist website: www.prettymaids.net
Hits: 1815
Language: english

  

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