Prior to Command to Charge, Suidakra were German metal’s answer to Songs from the Wood-era Jethro Tull, blending headbanging riffs with gentle, largely acoustic folk tunes. That side of the band isn’t entirely absent from Command to Charge: the Celtic-influenced “A Runic Rhyme” and the splashy instrumental “Dead Man’s Reel” are entirely in keeping with Suidakra’s old sound, and there’s even a 30-second interlude played on bagpipes! Overall, however, this album repositions Suidakra as a fairly standard issue metalcore act. They’re more melodic than most, but the melodies now have more in common with Linkin Park than the Incredible String Band, and there’s a higher average of Cookie Monster vocals. The problem is that the metalcore audience are going to be puzzled and likely put off by the folk and acoustic elements just as much as Suidakra’s old fan base are likely to consider the new sound a commercially motivated sellout. As a result, Command to Charge is not likely to entirely please either audience. – Stewart Mason