 Written by: Sabrina TVBand
It’s about time I put my cards on the table; I’m not a big fan of Bruce Dickinson. I have an appreciation for many Dickinson Iron Maiden songs, but like Klaus Meine I find that Dickinson has a voice that becomes grating after a few minutes. He also has an aggressive and very British nerdy goofball energy. I realize I’m mostly alone in having this opinion, but I stand by it. The Di’Anno years of Iron Maiden have been overshadowed by the subsequent Dickinson years in a big way, but Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut is still one of their stronger albums. Di’Anno is known for being a more limited vocalist than Dickinson, but within that limited range I find his voice to be a lot more enjoyable.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
For the past couple of years, Fresno California’s Haunt had been slowly incorporating synthier and poppier elements into their brand of metal to evolve alongside the fast turnaround of album releases. This strategy fared wonderfully, and slowly became the norm. Despite not having a bad album to his name, I did fear that Trevor was beginning to craft under a stagnant umbrella, as Beautiful Distraction and Windows Of Your Heart cast similar sounds that regenerated the foundation built with the two records before that. Damn, that takes us to album number seven already, doesn’t it? I’m thrilled to say that Golden Arm takes a slight leap in the heavier direction. This could have led to a “throwback” type of release that goes back in time four years to the first two records, but instead, I’m picking up hints of power metal flavors, which I can’t say I’ve really seen much of in the band’s career yet. If nothing else, there’s certainly a hint of epic leanings that grip the speedier aspects and run with them. The record’s title track makes this evident in its calmer build before casting a powerful spell in the solo, spearheaded by an incredible transition. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Man do I love situations where a band doesn’t impress me at first, and then completely changes my perspective after another helping. Salt Lake City’s heavy metal quartet Blood Star didn’t offer a lot in the beginning. They only put out a few singles for a few years, but on this, the Year of our Lord 2023, they’ve come forth with a full-length, fully selling me. Unlike a few other traditional outfits that have sung me away this year, the band’s debut First Sighting is completely to the point, causing a love at first sighting…er, love at first sight; or sound, rather. What I’m saying is that this is very accessible! Playing it safe, Blood Star is very true to the classic roots of heavy riffing. The band holds loads of melody with anthemic choruses and a decent variance of tempo. Their vocalist boasts a powerful front, honing in on a clean approach that has loads of oomph, thus pairing nicely with tunes on the faster side. Not only is this very evident on “No One Wins,” but the short bass solo tacked onto the end of the lead’s bright presence is pristine! As a matter of fact, “bright” is a pretty good word to describe all of this, considering how nicely every instrument comes through. Even the speed metal backbone of album closer “Wait To Die” couldn’t even escape this, so you know consistency is not an issue. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
My first impression just looking at this artwork had me thinking a death metal painting had collided with a traditional metal logo. Would the music reflect that? Not at all. The Swiss outfit Megaton Sword veer on the epic side of the traditional metal flavors, which has been a slow development since their first EP. While not changing much in style from before, Might & Power is the band’s most concise and compelling work to date. Don’t take that lightly, because both the prior full-length and the EP hold a pretty hot flame. As with many bands that take this approach, part of the magic lies in letting the epic coats sit nicely atop several different songwriting approaches. Here there’s a pretty even blend between upbeat, hopeful attitudes, choppy crunches, and full-on catchy vocals. Better are the numbers that push all of that into one song. “Iron Plains” is almost obvious with its aim for being one of the standout numbers, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t incredible. Cool emotion in the chorus, the speedier gallops, a slow melting center, and stellar buildup into blast beats seal this banger’s fate as the perfect epic metal tune. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Once in a blue moon, I’ll come across something that I find to be decent at best, worthwhile enough to revisit, and each subsequent revisit makes me appreciate it a little more. The Chilean heavy metal outfit Shadows fit that exact situation. Without the backing familiarity of their EP, going into this blind yielded many surprises. While in the realm of “traditional metal,” I would struggle to call their debut Out For Blood traditional at all. The term fits in regards to the riff style, but there’s really a lot going on here, giving it that effect of growing more addictive every time I hit it. In a formulaic sense, this is everything I could ask for. Rough and raw rhythms with grating burrs make up an otherwise melodic foundation, backed by some thunderous basslines and eerie synths to muffle coarse edges. Emphasis on the melody, though, because almost every lead is surprisingly catchy amidst a foggy haze that matches the obvious occult-loving album art. It should come as no surprise that influences of doom metal make a pretty aggressive appearance. This is more evident in the presentation, however, not so much in the riff structure; very seldom do we find doomy riff stomps. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
In 2021, Blazon Rite were able to capture my attention with their debut record’s bright personality. This year, they offered up another disc full of fantastical tales and glorious battles. Titled Wild Rites And Ancient Songs, the fitting feeling casts the same energy as before in a slightly more compact manner, but with a few minor nuances to note it as a worthwhile step forward. Naturally, things feel a bit cleaner, but the epic Philly traditional metallers offered up a little more than just that. For one, there’s a clear injection of inspiration that aligns more with Iron Maiden tropes than full-on Savatage worship in the modern light. Galloping riffs with a slight step up in speed make up a higher percentage of this disc, without feeling like it steps into harsh territory. I’d also say that the songwriting itself is clearly defined in a very focused manner here; not that it was boring before, but Blazon Rite seems to have a personality built with higher purpose this time around. The solos are tight, and in general, the already compelling ideas from before have a sharper edge. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
2018 saw Canada’s Gatekeeper indulge in the epic leanings of the traditional metal style on East Of Sun. Being a tougher approach to sell me on as is, I wasn’t overly impressed. Switching to the other side of the compass, From Western Shores would quickly change this, as the band not only sounds refreshed after five years, but also has matured and cemented their narrative in a more compelling manner. Coming in at almost fifty minutes, these eight songs pack loads of ingredients in nice and snug, without trailing off. Naturally, a step forward in songwriting quality is realized, particularly in the album’s varying ideas. Moreover, stepping away from the Europower glazings from time to time helps, although its presence is still important for much of the runtime. Strong chorus melodies that insert themselves between beefy riffs and emotional solos become a vital part of the foundation. It pairs well with the tendency to progressively intertwine the different angles within the same song, showing Gatekeeper’s ability to transition smoothly. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
More often than not, I find it difficult to unearth heavy metal crossed with AOR in recent years that doesn’t reek of old men overproducing something generic that sounds like a cover of an ‘80s song. In the rare instances where this isn’t the case, expectations go beyond being met. Sumerlands nails this latter description. Being on their second album, these Philadelphia heavy metallers have taken what their debut longed to be and made it a reality. This isn’t to say the self-titled record was bad, but Dreamkiller is where the full potential is realized. Given what we know, you can expect lot’s of metal-oriented riffing that doesn’t really utilize dense distortions or minor keys, but holds onto the rhythmic progressions firmly enough. Shrieking solos, synth-backings, and some of the cleanest singing adds a spacey atmosphere, invoking the feeling of shedding old skin for new enlightenment. Musically, things are ultimately rather light, but the amount of layers allows it to feel full for such a short album. Being only eight tracks, every bit of space is filled to the brim, either taking a steadier approach or a galloping one.  Written by: Blackie Skulless
Ah yes, we’ve once more come around to one of those album covers where looking at it tells you exactly what you’re in for. If you guessed throwback traditional heavy metal, you’d be correct. Midnight Rider are a German-based group that have been around for nearly two decades, but only got around to a full length five years ago. Their follow-up titled Beyond The Blood Red Horizon dropped very recently, giving off vibes as warm as the colors on the cover. Strangely enough, Midnight Rider avoids the speed metal trope that likes to be used in many variants of this type of project. Instead, the focus leans closer to the blusier end of things, channeling classic rock vibes under just enough metal riffing to qualify it as Judas Priest inspired. If their first album met with the debut Rainbow album, and topped things off with some thicker distortions, you’d basically get Beyond The Blood Red Horizon. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
After actually waiting over a whole year to put out a new full-length, Haunt have come forward with album number six! Considering the rate, I have taught myself to enter new discs without any preconceived expectations, but I’m thrilled to report that Windows Of Your Heart brings forth a little more memorability. While 2021's Beautiful Distraction was still a solid disc, that was my main qualm outside of its title track. Stylistically I wouldn’t really call this one anything much different, but its execution is interesting enough. From the gate, you get a bit of a refreshed feeling from opener “Mercenaries.” The speed metal boost that’s brought forward breathes new energy, especially with the way it fills in the gaps with softer clean guitars. Similar energy exists on “No Control,” though I will admit that this one doesn’t utilize repetition as well as it could have. That isn’t utilized too heavily throughout the album as a whole, though. |
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