Time Signature
I am the end...
Genre: heavy metal(!)
There's metal and then there's METAL!
With their deliberately old school approach to metal music, RAM belongs to the latter category. On their latest album "Death" they further explore the universe of what many consider true and essential metal - namely, the metal of the 80s. Despite their retro outlook to metal, RAM's "Death" does in no way sound outdated. On the contrary, it provides a fresh take on heavy metal the way Satan intended it to sound.
After a spacey instrumental intro in the form of 'Death...' which is inspired by old Italian horror films, the album is kicked into gear with the dark and aggressively galloping '...Comes from the Mouth Beyond', which - apart from being a very expressive and at times melancholic track, complete with a spoken verse in Swedish - captures some of the same uniqueness associated with King Diamond and Mercyful Fate. RAM takes inspiration from the likes of King Diamong/Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Black Sabbath - and they are not ashamed of it. This inspiration, in combination with the RAM guys' unique talents and musicianship amount to headbanbing-inspiring metal tracks like '... Comes from the Mouth Beyond', the almost groovy 'I Am the End', the pumping highway-friendly 'Release Me' and the NWoBHM-driven 'Defiant' along with 'Under the Scythe', which captures a lot of the aggression associated with the likes of Motörhead, and 'Flame of the Tyrants', which captures the spirit of Judas Priest. In addition to these classic metal-styled tracks, RAM also show that they are capable of writing doom-ladden and epic metal in the form of '1 7 1 7' and the more melodic 'Hypnos' and a true metal ballad in 'Frozon' (no, this is not a cheesy power ballad or a sleazy hair metal ballad).
The production is organic and authentic, having a true 80s metal feel to it, and this is because RAM opted for recording the entire album live, and this was a really good choice - it captures the spirit and rawness of heavy metal music, and the essence of the energy of the band itself.
Drawing on the aesthetics of traditional meta, RAM have committed an instant metal classic in the form of "Death" which is bound to awaken you inner heavy metal caveman and let him out on a RAMpage to destroy everything that comes in his way. Any fan of classic heavy metal should definitely check out "Death".