Review HOLY MOSES ‘Invisible Queen’

Holy Moses belongs the heroes of German thrash metal. Especially the first four albums belong to the genre defining releases, unleashed in a time when bands like Kreator and Sodom were in the fledgling phase too. Maybe it was the hiatus in the second half of the 90s that took away some attention from the band and at the same time it is great that Holy Moses never disappeared fully. With twelve records under their belt, Holy Moses belongs to the most productive bands and although it took nine years for Sabina Classen and bandmates to finish the 13^th studio album, the quality of the newest offer is stunning.

With support from a new label, Fireflash Records, the band has with ‘Invisible Queen’ their next striking longplayer in the pipeline.

As in the past also nowadays Holy Moses don’t deliver thrash metal off the shelves. The band always gave their own touch to their music and that approach doesn’t end with ‘Invisible Queen’. No doubt, it is Classen’s unique voice that defines the sound of the band and make Holy Moses stand out. It a charismatic voice with a range from hoarse screams to deep shouts.

Photo: Axel Jusseit

In total twelve songs made it on ‘Invisible Queen’ and there is no weak spot recognizable. There is the aggressive ‘Alternate Reality’, the raging ‘Cult of the Machine’ and the furious ‘Outcast’. All these tunes reflect the typical ruthless Holy Moses sound and the grooving ‘Too Far Gone’ echoes the trademark sound of the band.

It is the bit more complex ‘Through the Veils of Sleeps’ that spits you out of this thrash metal tornado after 47 minutes and the only wish is, to get back to start again for another ride on this metallic rollercoaster.

There is a bit of a tear in the eye too, thinking about ‘Invisible Queen’ as Sabine Classen stated: “I joined Holy Moses in December 1981 and that profoundly changed the path I was meant to take in life. Our first album in 1986 was called ‘Queen of Siam’ and now to round things off, my final album with Holy Moses in 2023 will carry the title ‘Invisible Queen’. After 42 eventful years and after so many awesome albums, fantastic shows and incredible experiences, the time to write the last chapter of Holy Moses has arrived. And we are pleased to see this happen via Fireflash Records with the release of our 12th studio album ‘Invisible Queen’.”

But hey, who knows what time will bring and for sure, ‘Invisible Queen’ is an impressive cornerstone in the band’s discography.