{"id":102710,"date":"2023-12-13T00:00:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T00:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=102710"},"modified":"2024-03-22T13:35:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T13:35:02","slug":"album-review-noor-mothers-guilty-pleasure-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-noor-mothers-guilty-pleasure-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"NOOR – Mother\u2019s Guilty Pleasure Part One (2023) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

NOOR
Mother\u2019s Guilty Pleasure Part One<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nSelf-titled (2023)<\/span>
Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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If ever there was a case of an album cover not matching the music within it\u2019s this one – damn, even the band shots make them look more like a hardcore outfit. Secondly, Mother\u2019s Guilty Pleasure Part One<\/em> is not only the biggest surprise of 2023 but it\u2019s also a contender for my best album of the year. In fact, I\u2019d even go as far as to say that it\u2019s one of the best albums of the last decade..<\/p>\n

Noor is an incredible Canadian power metal act from Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec and they have released an album that literally incinerates the opposition. It\u2019s rare for me, in my old age, to get excited about new albums but this debut blows the roof off whatever abode you reside within. Imagine a band like Heir Apparent but with extra meaty padding; those vocals are just wild and the leads just as crazy. If you\u2019re a heavy metal fan then this is what you want from a record, something that drips with molten steel and makes you feel like you\u2019ve embarked on an epic if somewhat reckless adventure.<\/p>\n

Back in the 80s, US power sounded exactly like this; ferocious, bombastic and cocksure. But the most important aspect was to be led by a mercurial frontman and Noor has exactly that in the form of Thomas Karam who provides those flashing leads too. His style is energetic, dominant and nostalgic in their potency. The rest of the line-up consists of rhythm guitarist Simon Jarmosh, bassist Olivier Roy and drummer Nicolas Moro.<\/p>\n

The album is armed with eight tracks, all of which run for over five minutes and all but one over six minutes. The opening title track is a nine-minute behemoth rippling with epic riffs which shift gear constantly but with an infectious grandiose steadiness. It\u2019s such a robust offering where leads wail like sirens amidst the thunderous storm of percussion.<\/p>\n

As \u2018Golden Coffin\u2019 emerges, I\u2019m bamboozled by the torrent of leads to the extent that by the halfway point of the album I need a break! Flashes of thrash emerge amidst the constant lightning strikes; there are hints of Queensr\u00ffche, Fates Warning, Crimson Glory and Helloween which sizzle like a hotly spiced cauldron. \u2018All Equally Useless\u2019 boasts a more measured approach as a pure power metal attack, while \u2018Flaming Rage\u2019 lives up to its title, scorching like a comet with its zipping axe work and spinal bass.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hoodlum\u2019 gallops like Iron Maiden, but for me it\u2019s the last three tracks which cement Noor as the new gods. The melodious streaks of \u2018Forgiving Eyes\u2019, the eastern shades of \u2018Hills Of Qartaba\u2019 and the dramatic cold steel of \u2018Roseblood\u2019, all of which marry a soaring Queensr\u00ffche majesty to a vibe of, say, Steelwing. This is just a joyously powerful album that erupts like a volcano, coating the land in metallic lava. However, if I had to find fault then I\u2019d say the production isn\u2019t the best although due to its rampant nature I can overlook that, but I do hope the band makes improvements.<\/p>\n

And so, Noor is the new name on the block that has constructed an absolute mammoth of a heavy metal album and one that demands your attention like a muscled, sword wielding warrior screaming vengeance from the blood soaked mountain top. I never saw this coming in what could indeed be the second coming.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NOORMother\u2019s Guilty Pleasure Part One Self-titled (2023)Rating: 9\/10 If ever there was a case of an album cover not matching the music within it\u2019s this one – damn, even the band shots make them look more like a hardcore outfit. Secondly, Mother\u2019s Guilty Pleasure Part One is not only the biggest surprise of 2023 but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,5619],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-noor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102710"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102719,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102710\/revisions\/102719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}