Review written by Stijn “Metal Shredder” Daneels.

For a while now I’ve been keeping in touch with Beyond The Labyrinth’s guitarist and songwriter Geert Fieuw and Nightqueen’s guitarist and songwriter Rex Zeco. The latter invited me to join his newly established Music4Care initiative to provide moral and financial support to Belgium’s healthcare personnel, backed up by various other Belgian musicians. Rex invited me to listen to and share my thoughts about Music4Care’s highly anticipated debut single, “Heroes Of Another Kind!” So let’s shred this one out, facemask firmly on!

“Heroes Of Another Kind” is the first single released by Music4Care featuring the symphonic power metal band Nightqueen along with special guests Geert Fieuw from the progressive hard rock band Beyond The Labyrinth and Sergio Quisquater, best known for his career with the 1990s electronic pop band Touch Of Joy.

I can easily describe “Heroes Of Another Kind” as a combination of the guitar-driven symphonies from Nightqueen with the radio-friendly, keyboard-driven beats from Touch Of Joy. The song is very uplifting thanks to the mid-tempo riffs and an upbeat main melody that’s played both on guitar and keyboard, kind of like a instrumental duet.

And speaking of duet, vocalists Hellen and Sergio both have operatic voices and, like the aforementioned guitars and keyboards, they complement each other very well. Hellen has a commanding voice and hits some of her usual epic high notes while Sergio has as a lower, more calming voice. By the end both singers come together to sing the chorus as the song reaches a powerful finale and they part with the words “we salute you.” A line whose delivery gave me legit goosebumps the first time I’d heard it.

Despite the song’s optimistic tunes, the lyrics are more confronting, describing the harsh, stressful and sometimes life-threatening working conditions that our doctors and nurses face as they take on the coronavirus head on. However, the lyrics do get more optimistic as the single progresses and as the beats become more intense.

Overall, “Heroes Of Another Kind” is a song with two-faces, literally and figuratively. It describes the current uphill battles of all healthcare workers worldwide but also motivates us to continue the fight. It’s a tune with guitar-driven heaviness and keyboard-driven lightness. In other words, a single that can be enjoyed by music lovers of many different kinds.

The single’s cover art features a nurse sitting in front of a stone pillar, closing her eyes, waving her hand through her hair and trying to relax despite the grueling situation she’s in right now because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One detail I really love about this image are the wing-like fires that fiercely burn on both sides of her body. It reminds me of the phoenix, the mythical bird that turns into ashes and rises back from it, reinvigorated and ready for another round! So I believe that despite the nurse being full of physical and mental stress, she still maintains enough strength and courage to get back to her patients and keep on fighting against this raging virus!

9 phoenix nurses out of 10. A majestic blend of heavy guitars, catchy vocals and joyful keyboards makes this first Music4Care single a true joy to listen to if you feel the need to get yourself pumped up to fight another day, no matter what struggles you’re facing. And to all the healthcare and other public service workers who are contributing so much to hold off the COVID-19 pandemic, we at Belgian Metal Shredder salute you! Now enjoy the single here below!

Pre-order the single here: https://form.jotform.com/houseofentertainment/PreregistratieMusic4Care!