THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...INDUCTION – Love Kills! (RPM)

INDUCTION have come a long way since 2015, when what was pretty much a one-man outfit called Martin Beck’s Induction released the instrumental cut ‘Far Beyond The Horizon’. For a start, Martin Beck is long gone in what seems to be a bit of a revolving door of musicians, and with Tim Hansen – son of one Kai Hansen, whom many people will be aware of – having taken the reins as guitarist, principal songwriter and producer, the five-piece have unveiled their third album, ‘Love Kills!’.

photo by Tim Roenz

Described by their label as “a progressive power metal band” the guys in Induction certainly know how to create catchy material. Songs like opener ‘Virtual Insanity’ and ‘Steel And Thunder’ romp along with grace and panache, and even the slower material like the lighters-in-the-air ‘Strangers To Love’ (which features the wonderful Clémentine Delauney, moonlighting from Visions Of Atlantis) is delivered with a consistent style and elegance. New vocalist Gabriele Gozzi has slotted in nicely, and nearly – but not quite – steals the show from the duelling guitars of Hansen and Justus Sahlamn.

The material is heavy, certainly, but quite accessible in the same way as – dare I say it? – early Helloween, imbued with that Euro-metal feel: generally fast with a foot-tapping beat, pounding bass drums and intricate solos and, almost without exception, a key change for that all-important rousing final chorus. On the downside though, all the usual tropes are ticked off, there’s precious light and shade on offer, and maybe it’s my ears but after a while all the songs do seem to bleed into one. Nicely written, extremely well executed, but perhaps a little unfulfilling in terms of expansiveness and adventurousness at the end of the day.

Video clips:
‘Dark Temptation’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXqqAMh5lrE
‘Strangers To Love’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSGC0ksIQOs

John Tucker February 2026