Written By: Nameless N00b 86
There can be no doubt where Turbokill’s sights are set with a name like Champion. Formed in 2017 after singer Stephan Dietrich’s departure from Alpha Tiger, the group only managed to release debut album Vice World in 2019 before the pandemic forced them–and virtually everyone else–to take a break for a few years. Now they re-emerge into a post-plague world with their sophomore offering which promises three things: catchy hooks, sing-along choruses, and uplifting lyrics. These traits are hardly uncommon in power metal, but the results can be electrifying when executed properly. Time to put Champion to the test in a crowded playing field.
It quickly becomes clear that Turbokill has few tricks or twists up its sleeve to help differentiate itself from the pack. Instead, its approach is to expand its borders into lofty power metal territory while keeping one foot in the more straightforward heavy metal style of the debut. The first proper track “A Million Ways” is a good representation of what’s to come, blending the galloping riffs of HammerFall with the sweeping, grandiose choruses of Freedom Call. They sometimes borrow from less traditional power metal variants like Theocracy (“Time to Wake” and “Overcome”) and Brothers of Metal (“Sons of the Storm”), however, most of the music will feel comfortably familiar to fans of typical Euro-power cheese.
Champion is not quite as consistent in quality as it is in style. Stephan Dietrich has the type of nasally voice that lends itself better to the more trad-metal songs, such as the title track. Unfortunately, he seems to strain a bit on the higher notes, so he’s unable to make some of the power metal choruses (“A Million Ways,” “Go Your Way” and “Sons of the Storm”) really soar. Overall, though, his delivery is effective and charismatic, and it’s easy to see why he’s the most prominent piece of the group’s identity. That said, Turbokill doesn’t bet all its chips on Dietrich. Daniel Kanzler and Ronny Schuster take every opportunity to step on the accelerator with their guitar shredding. The problem comes when they sometimes Kill the Turbo at strange times. For example, a guitar solo starts in the middle of “Time to Wake” only to sputter out after a few seconds to make way for a slower, extended bridge. When the guitar soloing reasserts itself afterward, it’s lost some of the momentum that a performance of this caliber deserves.
The 54-minute runtime is another impediment holding Champion back from its full potential. There’s a lot of solid material here that would have hit harder if the more mediocre songs like “Mirage Mirror” and “Tear It Down” were cut. The reprise of a melody from the intro at the end of album finale “Overcome” is a nice detail but it’s easy to miss because of how much time elapses in between. I have to acknowledge the heroic efforts of drummer Kevin Käferstein to liven up the drier moments, particularly in the verses of “Go Your Way” and the chorus of “Overcome.” Marco “Fox” Grünwald’s bass is just audible enough to add much-needed crunch, though I wish his presence on Champion was at the same level as it was in Vice World.
Turbokill accomplish much of what it set out to do. Champion has plenty of high-octane lines and meaningful hooks. In the end, though, it plays way too safe for way too long. This makes me struggle to find reasons to return to this over any of the other bands I’ve referenced above the next time I have a cheese craving. A small shift in songwriting emphasis from simple, sugary choruses to the dexterous instrumental prowess evident here would do wonders for Turbokill’s memorability. For now, sadly, this aspiring Champion will have a hard time making it out of the play-in tournament.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Websites: Bandcamp | turbokill.de | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 27th, 2024
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