UMUR "The Fiction Maze" is the 4th full-length studio album by Swedish power metal act Persuader. The album was released through Inner Wound Recordings in January 2014. Persuader released three albums in the years 2000 - 2006, but during that time experienced two of their labels declared bankrupt. Especially the bankruptcy of Dockyard1, that released the third full-length studio album "When Eden Burns (2006)", was a hard blow for Persuader, who lost momentum and the desire to carry on with the band. So the long pause between "When Eden Burns (2006)" and "The Fiction Maze" has a natural explanation. Thankfully for fans of the band, Persuader opted to continue despite past struggles.

The music on "The Fiction Maze" is power metal in the more hard edged vein. A reference to mid-nineties Blind Guardian is valid. It´s especially the voice and singing style of lead vocalist Jens Carlsson that are reminiscent of the voice and singing style of Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) but also the excursions into speed and thrash metal territories that Persuader often take, remind me of the prolific Germans. Persuader focus less on epic choirs and progressive song structures than Blind Guardian though and they are generally a bit more direct in their approach. The songwriting is still quite sophisticated though and the music doesn´t lack neither grand multi-layered sing along choirs nor epic atmospheres, which is pretty much a must in this genre of music.

Persuader successfully vary pace and style (within the boundaries of the power metal genre) throughout the album, from fast power/thrashing like "InSect" (if the vocals on that one had been growling, there are even sections that could be tagged melodeath) and "Falling Faster", to the slow and epic "Deep in the Dark" to the mid-paced heavy riffing of "Sent to the Grave". It keeps the listener entertained throughout and provide "The Fiction Maze" with a good dynamic flow.

The songwriting is simply top notch, but that´s not the only great thing about "The Fiction Maze", which also features high level musicianship and a powerful and edgy sound production, which suits the music perfectly. Regarding the musicianship the instrumental part of the music is very well performed with a focus on guitars, bass and drums. There are occasional use of keyboards, but they are seldom a dominant instrument in the band´s soundscape. It´s lead vocalist Jens Carlsson that takes the prize though. He is an incredibly powerful vocalist and he delivers his rusty vocal lines and choir vocals with great conviction and passion.

Although it´s not really his fault that he has a voice that sounds a lot like the voice of Hansi Kürsch, there is an inevitable clone factor that´s impossible not to notice and comment on, and when the music on the album is also somewhat in the same vein as the music of Blind Guardian, that clone factor grows even stronger. I know this is an issue to some people, and I can´t say it´s not a slight issue to me too, but objectively seen "The Fiction Maze" is quite a fantastic power metal release, and it deserves to be judged on that merit, and not the fact that it sounds a lot like the band who most likely influenced it´s makers. Therefore a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Kev Rowland These guys have been at it for fifteen years now, and one really has to wonder what they could have achieved if it wasn’t for record company issues. I mean, having one label going bust on you is bad luck, but two? Anyway, here they are with their fourth album and one can only hope that this helps them get the breaks they need, as power metal rarely gets any better than this. The vocals are clear and high with an emotional edge, the music is packed full of riffs and hooks and the rhythm section just blast it along. Imagine Blind Guardian and Iced Earth mixing it up with Sabaton and even a few bits and pieces of Meshuggah and you may get close to what this is all about. They may lost a lot of their momentum over the years but surely this is going to give them the impetus as this really starts 2014 off with a bang. It is definitely way too early in the year to be talking about Top Tens, but this is surely going to be making many an impact on yearly lists in December.

Seriously, if you enjoy power metal with plenty of bollocks, twists, musical dexterity and great vocals being driven along by a band firing on all cylinders then this is something you just have to here. Honestly, power metal rarely gets any better than this. I love it. www.innerwound.com

adg211288 Persuader...now here’s a name from the power metal genre that I haven’t heard for some time and indeed had begun to wonder if I’d ever hear again. For those of you who haven’t heard this Swedish band before this may be the reason why; it’s been many years since they last released an album, 2006 in fact with When Eden Burns. The Fiction Maze (2014) is their fourth full-length album, released eight years later (Japan will get it slightly earlier at the tail end of 2013) and against all expectations it seems to pick up exactly where its predecessor left off, featuring the same line-up and the sound that made records such as When Eden Burns and Evolution Purgatory (2004) such killer power metal efforts.

Persuader takes their cues from the Blind Guardian school of power metal. That is to say although they belong to the European, melodic side of the genre, theirs is a guitar driven and aggressive sound. Their aggressive nature is heightened both by their use of thrash metal elements and the odd vocal line delivered with a growl rather than frontman Jens Carlsson’s usual clean, powerful singing. Jen’s tone bears more than a passing similarity to Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kürsch, further making the comparisons between the two bands valid. Persuader have their differences but it’s clear who their music will appeal to, and compared to newer Blind Guardian efforts they’re much intense in the riff department, and prefer to the point power metal songs opposed to the multiple influences that crept into Blind Guardian’s most recent release At the Edge of Time (2010). In other words Persuader focus on kicking arse in the way only a riff driven metal band like them can.

While some might argue that a band who has been away this long should have developed their sound somewhat I would be one to argue against that in this case. Persuader play European power metal at its aggressive end the way it should be played and honestly why mess with a winning formula? The Fiction Maze is proof that you don’t need to, sounding not only as strong as Persuader ever were but almost as if they’d never been away in the first place. This is about as triumphant return as it’s possible to have and the band make that clear right from the get-go with killer opening track One Lifetime. Did they play it safe? Yeah, it definitely sounds that way but it also sounds like a band who knows that they are good at what they do.

The album continues to be high quality from start to finish. Persuader certainly stand for a full throttle approach to power metal. You'll find none of the balladry that the majority of power metal bands insist on having here, and it's all the better release for it. That's not to say Persuader completely shies away from the mellow side of things; both the title track and Deep in the Dark feature some nice acoustic playing, but neither lacks for the power of the full on intensity of tracks like InSect.

Despite the heavier edge Persuader never fails to also be melodic and have catchy songs. If all power metal sounded like this, people would never had started using the term 'cheesy' in relation to the genre. I'm glad they're back because they have, most definitely, been missed. This time, hopefully, they're here to stay.

Primeval Scum On Persuader's fourth album The Fiction Maze, the band ups the heaviness big time. The guitar riffs are thicker and meatier than ever before. You could even list Thrash as a primary genre for many of these songs. The production is magnificent and lends the band's sound a certain depth to it that was lacking before. Jens Carlsson's vocals are absolutely superb as always, and are Persuader's biggest strength. With his pipes, Persuader could make any song sound good. The playing is solid and tight throughout the album on every instrument.

There are some great tracks, but on the whole I found the songwriting and melodies on The Fiction Maze to be slightly weaker than their last outing. Still great, but there aren't any breathtaking "wow" moments on this album comparable to say the outro to Judas Immortal. All of the songs are good and enjoyable, but only about half of them take the step up from good to fantastic. That said, it's still a strong addition to Persuader's discography and by no means a disappointment.

Rating: 3.9/5

Highlights: One Liftetime, Deep in the Dark, Son of Sodom, Sent to Grave