Cans is the solo-project from Hammerfall and Warlord vocalist, Joacim Cans (yes, it's his name. The band is not named after tin containers!).

BEYOND THE GATES (2004) NOISE/SANCTUARY

Hammerfall have quickly become one of my favorite bands. So it was only natural that I was curious about Joacim's first solo-album. What on earth could he come up with on his own? (After all, I've not heard good things about the band he was in before Hammerfall, called Mrs. Hippie.) But one peek at the list of musicians and guests present on 'Beyond The Gates' should be enough to silence even the strongest disbeliever. In addition to a couple of his band members, we also find "Metal" Mike Chlasciak (Halford, Testament, MVP), Mat Sinner (Sinner, Primal Fear), Mark Zonder (Fates Warning, Warlord), Gus G. (Firewind, Mystic Prophecy, Dream Evil, Nightrage), need I go on? And on the writing side of the album, he also got help from, amongst others, Jeff Waters (Annihilator). It's obvious to everyone that the metal factor is well taken care of here. And it is good to hear that Joacim have come up with a little nugget within the temporary metal scene. If you can imagine a cross between the mans 2 main bands, and ten add the talent of the aforementioned musicians, then you have a pretty good idea of what Cans sound like. It's solid heavy metal, with plenty of hooks and melody, without taking anything away from the power and intensity. Joacim sings mostly in his lower registry, which is a good thing, in my opinion. Give 'Beyond The Gates' a spin. It will most likely appear on my top 20 list of 2004 releases.

Killer tracks: Fields Of Yesterday, Red Light, Beyond The Gates, Forever Ends

Related artists:

Hammerfall, Warlord, Sinner, Primal Fear, Testament, Fates Warning, Evergrey