(Power Metal / Speed Metal) Alpha Tiger - Man Or Machine - 2011, WavPack (image+.cue), lossless

REVIEW FROM WWW.METALCRYPT.COM:
A lot of bands are mining this vein of heavy/power metal at the minute, with bands such as Steelwing, Enforcer and White Wizzard acting as though the 80's never ended. Germany's Alpha Tiger can add themselves to this bunch, although their production values are ever so slightly more modern, and of course with the band being German there is a little more power metal influence throughout.
The sounds on Man or Machine are hardly original by any stretch of the word, but the sound is a godly mix of both the US and German schools of speed metal, with touches of NWOBHM, thrash and the aforementioned power metal nods. The band has uncovered a truly talented vocalist in Stephan Dietrich. He can wail with the best of them and he reminds me of John Arch and particularly Rick Mythiasin, although Stephan's delivery is just a tad more nasal. As far as the music goes, this is great. The band play with a certain honesty that feels humble in places, the arrangements feel organic and flow nicely although some tracks could be seen as a little overlong.
The guitar playing is excellent, with the band dusting off just about every trick in the book. A lot of the solos sections really remind me of 80's Helloween and Gamma Ray, which is just bloody fantastic. To be honest, Alpha Tiger don't put a foot wrong throughout the duration of Man or Machine. I'm so sold on this band, and I just hope they can make a good name for themselves because they've put together a collection of nine excellent tracks that fans of early Fates Warning, Steel Prophet, Helloween, and Iron Maiden would do very well to check out. While not original, this is heartfelt and played with conviction, and 80's metal fans need this. Well done lads!

REVIEW FROM WWW.SEAOFTRANQUILITY.ORG:
Alpha Tiger are the second band to be featured on the new Sonic Attack label headed by Karl Walterbach who brought us bands such as Helloween and Kreator through his Noise Records label back in the 80's. Sonic Attack have promised that this will be a label who promote bands in a new and interesting way, focusing on downloads and internet campaigns to run alongside the physical CD releases. Whether that will be the case and how it works will be interesting to find out, however the first thing that really matters is whether the music on offer is going to get people excited enough in the first place. So far, on the strength of the label's initial release, the symphonic speed metal act Pathfinder and this 80's, NWOBHM inspired release from Alpha Tiger, the answer is not quite. There's nothing wrong with Man Or Machine, which is the first album to be released under this band name (they released Harlequin as Satin Black two years ago), but there's also not much that really sets Alpha Tiger apart from the slew of acts currently pillaging from this scene.
There's no doubting though that the five musicians who make up Alpha Tiger are capable of rocking up a storm and the likes of the twin guitar attack of "Against The Time" and the staccato riffing of "Exit: Night" are prime examples of hugely melodic metal, with soaring solos and tight arrangements, but there is very little else that really makes you sit up and take notice. Singer Stephan Dietrich has an amazing range and his ability to reach the stratosphere with his voice, sets him out as an undoubted talent. However all too often he relies on his piercing scream to make his mark and the lack of variety makes for a bit of a one dimensional end result. Rather than impress, the banshee wail loses impact when used so often and I for one would rather hear him use it as an eye catching punch to a more consistent approach.
I'd be lying if I suggested that there isn't much to enjoy on Man Or Machine, but I would also be slightly wide of the mark to say that there's quite enough to keep you continually coming back for more on a regular basis. A solid, if unspectacular start for both band and label but I'm sure that the two have the potential to deliver much more in the future.

Stephan "Heiko" Dietrich: vocals
Peter Langforth: guitars
Alexander Backasch: guitars
Dirk Frei: bass
Axel Patzold: drums