adg211288
The End of Our Flames is the second full-length album by Brazilian heavy metal act Pastore. The album was released in 2012. Pastore takes their name from the surname of their vocalist Mario Pastore, who quickly proves to be the star of the release, which is a faithful form of traditional heavy metal with a sprinkling of thrash metal elements.
The End of Our Flames is one of those albums that in no way even attempts to reinvent the wheel, but rather presents itself as intending to be the crème de la crème of the heavy metal genre by refining its essential elements into an addictive sound. It’s heavy, with solid musicianship and song writing. It’s catchy, but without being overtly commercial in direction. And best of all it has Mario Pastore. And Mario Pastore has an absolutely killer heavy metal voice, on par easily with those of the greats such as Bruce Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio or Jorn Lande, and with an impassioned performance from start to finish he lifts the record up well into the heights of greatness.
Not all the songs stand out as highlights, but The End of Our Flames is a solid and consistent effort from Pastore in all aspects. Early tracks such as the opening title track and its follow-up Night and Day quickly set a high standard for the album to follow. For the most part it manages it, with Brutal Storm, Liar, Envy, and Bring to Me Peace all having that same infectious sound that Pastore make their own, while the other tracks are all solid songs and therefore never dissatisfying. Nothing here is quite on the sort of masterpiece level that will keep me playing the highlights over and over again, but there’s just about enough of really exceptional heavy metal tracks here that an exceptional grade rating is deserved overall. This one is especially recommended for those who dig a top quality vocal performance above all else!
85/100
(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org/pastore-the-end-of-our-flames-t2860.html))