Written by: Blackie Skulless
Over the last couple of years, the North American heavy metal outfit Traveler has made a pretty strong impression in my endless hunger for traditional metal. While their debut was a solid start, it was the second record Termination Shock that fully sold me on the band. Naturally, I was really excited to see that a new one dropped earlier this year. Prequel To Madness admittedly took me a second to grasp onto, but as I’ve revisited over the months, it has grown on me significantly. The easiest explanation would be that prior to this, Traveler simply used a straightforward but hooky formula that was given more of an identity the second time around. For round three, I would argue that they’ve landed entirely on power metal territory, with flavors of the gritter U.S. style and the melodic, clean European style showing at times. This isn’t the first time that emphasis was placed on a heavier push, but man, do they ever unload the proverbial artillery here. Breakneck speeds, pummeling drums, and layers upon layers of guitar and bass combos leave no room for lightweight attacks. Even vocally, while higher falsettos and sharp shrieks aren’t foreign to the band, they move through this with more purpose than before.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Cruel Force has touched my radar a few times over the past couple of years. The German black/thrashers dropped two albums nearly fifteen years ago before splitting up, and while they made a serviceable enough take on the genre, it really never stuck to me. Fast-forward to over a decade later, and they came back with a vengeance, dropping Dawn Of The Axe, changing my mind about everything I just said. What was a nice soil that grew few worthwhile fruits now harvests an entire garden. Stylistically, they wouldn’t veer too far away from this initial idea, but any sharp edges get deburred and the thrashy attitude feels refined into something reminiscent of an ‘80 speed metal foundation. Similarly, vocals with a deeper snarl but a far more concise delivery are tacked on, almost feeling similar to Zetro from Exodus. Echoed production helps everything, giving a reverberated tone to the drum kicks pairing wonderfully with the vocals. Meanwhile, the bass licks are rather bouncy, providing extra kick beside the sharp riffing. Oftentimes, overdoing this can ruin a solid record, but that’s not the case here. The end product is a far more mature outing that almost lifts the “blackened” element away as well, leaving only remnants, but still holding onto their aggressive oomph.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Given the hype that’s been circulating around Tyran in the realm of traditional metal dweebs like myself, I was certainly eager to check them out. The appealing album artwork spurred that on even more, making me want to lend an ear immediately. Not to be confused with Iran’s capital city Tehran, the Bavarian dudes have only been around for a few years, and 2024 would see the year they drop a full-length. Following two singles, it realized itself in the form of Tyran’s Oath. At first glance, you’ll find exactly what one would expect. Speed metal riffing, high falsettos in the realm of King Diamond, and a generally clean overlay can easily sum up the entire album in the most basic sense. What’s less obvious is that most of the record avoids the mythical, magical, or historical angle you may anticipate, and prefers to focus on classic ‘80s strong-man themes around heavy metal and machinery. Stylistically, it’s also straight to the point without any hints of power metal or epic metal flavoring. Most changes in any dynamic are as simple as some songs slowing it down a little, like in “Thrill Of The Chase,” a melody-heavy tune. Written by: Blackie Skulless Seeing that ol’ Bruce hasn’t put out a solo effort since 2005, and that the latest Iron Maiden record didn’t exactly blow me away, I was a little unsure of what to expect from The Mandrake Project. As time passes on and veteran musicians struggle to keep the capacity going, it often tends to fall into the “hit or miss” category. But, more often than not, more time between records will work to your advantage. Bruce Dickinson further solidified this idea, as his latest effort truly did blow me away. The Mandrake Project is a culmination of many things not too unordinary for the British frontman, meaning its magic doesn’t rest in anything new. Rather, this is an exceptional exercise of tactics that he had mastered between his own career and his several decades in Iron Maiden alike. Modern production values with deep distortion on the riffing works entirely to this album’s advantage, all the while sneaking in a hefty amount of raw emotion and beautiful story-telling. Writing a record that focuses on only one of these properly is impressive, let alone all of them.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Leave it to Trevor to take me out of review retirement, huh. Year after year, I have found myself writing (at least) a review for Haunt annually. Anybody who has followed me knows how much I love everything from Mind Freeze and before, and how much I love different things about each following record without my mind needing to be blown. Well, I guess Dreamers is the one to break that trend, because boy do things actually take a turn here! Not to say that Haunt has stepped away from the heavy metal genre, but this is the most significant deviation from their classic core that we’ve gotten thus far. Rather than being another cut of stripped-down traditional metal with mildly varying toppings, this lifts up different layers to take the forefront. Strangely, the vocals and guitars swap taking a backseat despite still being a vital ingredient, depending on the track. The drum clashes pop harder than ever, and the synths feel like a tool to cast a mistier atmosphere rather than being another outlet for melody like on former records. Written by: Crypt Tender Another edition of ON THE HORIZON? The fact that this oft-forgotten segment is experiencing a sudden limelight indicates that A. there is a lot of good music in the pipeline, and B. we inhabitants of the Sleeping Village have tapped into a mystic pool of motivation, becoming, I can only imagine, annoyingly prolific in the process. We have a strict policy that any crypt-related items are sent directly to me, the illustrious and revered Crypt Tender [break for polite applause, sounds of fearful admiration]. As such, the entities that oversee the promo pit have gifted me this release announcement and accompanying lead single from heavy metal doomsters Crypt Sermon. I haven't yet had the pleasure of drinking deep of the forthcoming The Stygian Rose, out June 14th from Dark Descent Records, but I have played "Heavy Is The Crown of Bone" no fewer than ten times since receiving. Which, if we're being honest, makes me a bit of an expert on the matter. 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.
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. |
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