Band: MAXXWELL
Country: Switzerland
Title: Metalized
Label: Independent
Year: 2018
Style: Groove Heavy Metal

Review:
Swiss Maxxwell have recently released their fourth studio album by themselves, which is pretty strange because they have a long career under-belt, besides the three previous albums they have national and international tours and gigs with plenty of top names many only dream to open for, but I guess that's their choice. As I said this is released independently but the band joined forces with a distribution, booking and promotion companies so that the lack of a suitable label doesn't fault the band, although I think that's quite pricey... Anyway, this new album is made of 12 tracks plus 3 bonus tracks from their XX EP from 2016, for a total of an hour of playing time. Their compositions are a mic of Heavy Metal with Hard Rock and Groove Metal, with plenty of melody and loads of catchy moments to make it a tasty experience. There's a high case of diversity here, each track has its own identity but at the same time the album sounds curdled and unified, basically you kind of know what to expect next but you'll always be surprised or impressed by a hook or something making it all interesting. The production is top notch, nothing feels abrasive or blunt (well, except an attempt of a growling choir on a track, but only on one track), it gives the listener a comfortable experience, that's why I can imagine any kid getting into Metal with this album (like I did back in the days with Guns'n'Roses that sounded mean but at the same time safe for a kid in his early teens as I was). Very, very entertaining album housed in a silver digipak that enforces its title, with a 20 pages booklet featuring all lyrics and a thing I have to mention, a short description of each track right under its lyrics, so that the listener knows what the band is singing about, I find this extremely useful in order to get into the atmosphere easier.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10

Contact:
maxxwell.ch