(Heavy Metal) [CD] Hanker - Conspiracy of Mass Extinction - 2010, WavPack (image+.cue), lossless

REVIEW FROM METAL TO INFINITY:

Here it is, the fifth album of Hanker! These Canadians are working hard since many years and to be honest they've never let me down. I'm still wondering why it took so long to release their first album - it was dated 1994 - while the band was formed in 1985. It was without any doubts incredibly difficult during the Eighties to maintain a contract but I'm convinced Hanker would have been bigger if their first album would have been released in that era. These lads always stayed under the surface but that doesn't mean they didn't release any good albums. Some of their songs are actually amazingly strong and made it easily on my I-pod, where only the strongest Metal songs ever deserve a few kilobits.

Since a few years also Germany is fond of Hanker, at least the fans of True Eighties Metal. Not only did Hanker appear at one of the editions of the Headbangers Open Air festival, Hellion Records offered them a contract as well. At least it proves that their hard working gets rewarded and Hanker is getting a name abroad Canada. With a pretty remarkable front cover they want to seduce Metal heads but be sure the music itself is even more interesting. This is one of those bands you can keep on listening to, no matter where, no matter when...

Why? Because they have the talent mixing Power and melody in a perfect balance. Not too raw, not too polished, not at all cheesy but melodic enough to have all of your attention and Hanker is dynamic all the way. The last albums were more well-balanced than the first ones but the Iron Maiden influences always were clearly available. This newbie isn't any different and as always Hanker puts that dark kind of energy into their music. Especially this effect makes them so addictive. A bit of Thrash, a bit US style of Power metal and for one hundred percent hard hitting Heavy Metal!

Hanker contains several trumps! First of all there's Pascal Cliche, the guitarist-vocalist. This guy contains the ideal voice for this kind of Metal. His voice is strong, clear and contains a special timbre which makes him very recognizable! He owns the talent to produce very original vocal lines and his high screams are overwhelming. It are these particular vocal lines that lifts the band up to a higher level, it are these vocal lines that are responsible for the fact that Hanker have always written songs that are incredibly strong. Believe me if I say that to me Hanker wrote some tracks that could have been 'classic ones', but the lack of knowledge about the band will prevent this status forever.

Another strong point is the guitars! This guitar driven kind of Heavy Metal is pure, just the way it should sound. Great solos, awesome double leads, strong riffs... The leads are often following the vocals in their lines and that sounds fantastic, for a big part it is a brand of this band. A few listens to their albums will make you understand what I mean.

Is this a better one than Web Of Faith? It is in my opinion and I can tell you this release is since I've purchased it regularly in my CD player. Songs like Beyond The Pale, Who's Crying Loud? and for example Ruins Of Generation are more than enjoyable! Fans of Jag Panzer, Attacker, Helstar etc. will be satisfied by hearing this one!

REVIEW FROM WWW.METAL-TEMPLE.COM:

It seems that time was never a true factor for this band from Quebec. The long living HANKER is still stuck in the 80's, which is not a bad thing at all. Driving with the influences of IRON MAIDEN and old era of HELLOWEEN, their outcomes never seemed to be less than good. Conspiracy Of Mass Extinction is their new album for 2010 and it brings back the old sounds and feels of what is true melodic Heavy Metal.

Conspiracy Of Mass Extinction was provided with modern mechanisms to make it fit for the new millennia, yet, it doesn't have the distinctions of your average modern Metal release. As on some of the 80's productions, there is an addictive setting here, something that captured and plugged my ears even more to this release. Every instrument here that can be heard and felt properly. There is an order surrounding the release, which will help every listener to enjoy the flow.

As for their material, its old school, energetic, spreading an aura of nostalgia, melodic most of the way and sometimes even sends electrical charges of the known IRON MAIDEN-ish brand. After all those years, the band's vocalist / guitarist, Pascal Cliche, is still bound by the higher notes, although most of the time he sings in the vein of Harry Conklin of JAG PANZER. One of his best performances and the band's also, is on the band's best of hitters, self-titled - Conspiracy Of Mass Extinction. Through this particular track, this is what HANKER are all about, good Heavy Metal with the veins of the true gods of Metal.

As I noticed on other tracks, HANKER has a good drive, not mainly on their catchy like choruses, but also on their musical harmonies, especially between the bass and the twin guitars. Other nutcrackers are the solos. If you are a true fan of the old IRON MAIDEN solos of the 80's, you are in for a treat. As a proud MAIDEN fan, HANKER impressed me quite alot. Although they are not doing anything new, it is not that a big of an issue in their case, it is the quality here that served and their sense for being classy.

From Speed Metal to pure classic NWOBHM, there is everything here for the old schooler. HANKER's new release is one of the better examples of why it is so important to keep the old flame burning. Although if not handled with care, this flame could turn out into a mimic of something else bearing no interest at all, I am quite sure that here it is not happening with HANKER.

Pascal Cliche: vocals, keyboards
Patrick Gravel: guitar
Laurent Imbeau: bass
Sylvain Tremblay: drums