Review of the Album Strength Power Will Passion by the German Thrash Metal Band Holy Moses

German thrash metal band Holy Moses is one of the best such bands in the genre. Their 2005 album Strength Power Will Passion is an example of an album that is VERY heavy, hard hitting and brutal. Continuing on the subject of celebrities, we are exploring an area of the entertainment business that generates massive popularity in Germany. Holy Moses was always known for their speed and technicality but with this album, they take it one step further. In Germany, thrash metal is one of the most popular genres. Vocalist Sabina Classen experiments with a vocal style so rough that it sounds like a death metal growl. Angela Gossow would be really proud of the effort put in by Sabina. The band that is known for classic releases like 1987’s Finished With the Dogs creates an album with such force and ferocity that the late Chuck Schuldiner would be impressed. Forget about thrash metal bands like Mental Care Foundation when you hear this! The lineup of the band has changed a lot through the years. For this album it is the following:

• Sabina Classen-vocals
• Franky Brotz-guitars
• Michael Hankel-guitar
• Alex DeBlanco-bass guitars
• Julien Schmidt-drums

Note: I review this album again in 2018 with the deepest sense of gratitude for the fact that Sabina chose to follow me as a friend on social networking giant Facebook! After I had written about Sabina Classen and her greatness as a vocalist, she decided to follow me on Facebook and I will always be grateful for this action!

After the great and fast song Angel Cry, End of Time is another great song that follows it. This one is about the world being in such chaos and despair that it will come to end soon. People’s dreams are being shattered as we are stuck having to deal with the rise of evil forces. The song has a beautiful rhythmic section in the two minute mark that has been memorable for me. Angel Cry is one of the heaviest songs in the history of heavy metal so it is not just about the speed.

Move over Judas Priest you have company! THIS is the way to construct a heavy metal song that also is entertaining enough to keep fans like me wanting to come back for more! This statement is not in any way meant to put down Judas Priest but they just do not compare to the brutality, technicality, and precision that this album has because it is one thing to adopt a heavier style but it is another thing to use that heaviness and add a certain kind of musical punch to it that makes fans want to listen to this to better their mood!

I Will represents one of the fastest songs in the band’s career. For those of you that enjoy the speed offered by bands such as Annihilator, you will love this song! Space Clearing has an interesting feel to it has the softer guitar part is mixed in with the heavy picking part. Holy Moses is a thrash metal band with more than just speed. The message in the song is that whenever you feel like life has just brought you down to your lowest point and you have lost everything, don’t give up! Follow your instinct and you can pick yourself back up and keep going. After the fast and excellent song Lost Inside comes the song called Death Bells. A common lyrical theme in the band’s songs is the concept of warfare, violence, and destruction. But even so, this band is talented and has all the elements of a great band. They have good death metal style vocals, good use of speed, and some variety in the songs using acoustic elements. After the last song Say Goodbye, there is a hidden track in there. The lyrics are in German. There is a chance that some listeners may wonder what happened to the band since the vocals are different than what we had heard before throughout much of the band’s career. I think that this album is a sort of musical statement put out by Sabina that she is more than ready to have the strength, power, will, and passion to continue singing in the genre of thrash metal. As she says in the song Symbol of the Spirit, “rise!” That’s exactly what the band has done. They have risen even higher in the genre of thrash metal and honestly, they cannot really go any higher because their finished product especially in this album will be appreciated by thrash metal fans worldwide!

What are the best songs in Strength Power Will Passion?

The best songs in this album are Angel Cry, End of Time, I Will, Space Clearing, Sacred Crystals, and Lost Inside. There really is not a bad song in the album. For a band that broke up briefly starting in 1994 through 2000, they have made a triumphant return to the music business with the release of Strength, Power, Will Passion. This one is the follow-up to 2002’s Disorder of the Order. This one made in 2005 may be a better album than that one. This writer gives Strength Power Will Passion a 90 out of 100 points. This one is another solid album by one of the elite German thrash metal bands of all time.