This must be my lucky week, another day and another cliché album cover with another cliché title. I refrained from reading the biography that came along with this release and popped the album into my cd-player, fearing the worst. After a short and terribly redundant intro (when are these bands ever going to learn?), Cryonic Temple literally hurl themselves into a track that one can only call the king of all clichés: “Mercenaries Of Metal”. Seriously, I don’t know what bands are thinking with lyrics like: “We are the mercenaries of metal. We take no prisoners. Kill or be killed.” It’s like a cow eating grass, puking it up, and eating it again with one major difference: a cow does not possess the brain power to progress. These power metal acts do. Or at least they should.

Unfortunately, the music screams cliché louder than the words do. When listening to the album I’m wondering whether Cryonic Temple intended to copy Manowar or Hammerfall or both. Most of the time they sound completely like Hammerfall, in every possible way. The second song, “Inquistion”, can easily be put on a Hammerfall album, and I swear no one would notice the difference. The same goes for many more tracks.

From time to time they also manage to sound like Manowar. All in all pretty puzzling. They should make up their minds already. I’d rather have them copy Manowar than Hammerfall. I mean copying a copycat band can’t lead to much good now, can it?

Well that was the negative part, I hear you ask is there a positive part and yes there surprisingly is. Despite all the clichés the album has powerful songs that just take you along. It has the same mind numbing power as a Hammerfall album and you just notice yourself singing along with the terrible corny lyrics. The tracks are compact enough not to bore and singer Johansson’s vocals are good. They might sound like Hammerfall, but at least the man has a slightly distinctive voice and manages to put it to good use.

Blood, Guts & Glory is one of those albums that will only attract a certain group of people. Any Hammerfall fan can buy this album blindly. To others I have to say: avoid this release like the plague and spend your money on more original releases. Oh yeah for those who wonder: Cryonic Temple is indeed from Sweden. Let’s call Cryonic Temple, Hammerfall’s little brother, a title that befits them.