Metal Underground.com

When melody, technicality and brutality meet on equal footing, the result is a kind of beautiful carnage that you'll be happy to bear witness to on Perzonal War's "Captive Breeding." It's got the how'd-they-do-that soloing of modern power metal, the growly vocals and lightspeed drumming of thrash and occasionally a more melodic bent that is almost reminiscent of modern acts like the Foo Fighters.

This German band has been rocking the underground since 1997, but this is the band's first disc with guitarist Andreas Ballnus, who more than proves his metal mettle here, on tracks like the warp-speed "Incarnation" and the sledge hammer riffing on "Dead Man's Theories." At the same time, he and singer/guitarist Matthias Zimmer create a gorgeous pop sound on "Candor Hurts," which is definitely one of the disc's highlights, in addition to being a bit of a palate cleanser before the band brings the thrash again on the album's closer, "My Fate." "The Last Day" is another radio-friendly track, albeit one with plenty of heavy growls in the chorus.

When a band brings as much velocity as Perzonal War does on many of the tracks, it's imperative to have a good rhythm section to keep things from flying off the tracks. Bassist Bjorn Kluth and — especially — drummer Martin Buchwalter do so quite admirably. Even on tracks like the slower "The Last Day" or the more straightforwardly rhythmic "Lost," Buchwalter's drumming stands out. Still, it's the super-speed stuff like "Termination" and "My Fate" that really allows him to cut loose.

The disc does have a couple lesser tracks ("Unfailing System" and "The Cocoon"), but they aren't terrible by any means. At just short of an hour, the album doesn't overstay its welcome too much, though a nip and tuck here and there probably wouldn't have hurt.

Technicality tempered with melody and brutality is what Perzonal War has conceived on "Captive Breeding." It's a potent mix that will please plenty of metal fans.