SPLINTERED THRONE - The Greater Good of Man (Review)

Written by: Lord Hsrah

Portland based heavy metal quartet Splintered Throne's latest offering in The Greater Good of Man comes as a solid slab of classic heavy metal, with a touch of modernity. Reborn with a new lineup reinforced with the addition of vocalist Lisa Mann, The Greater Good of Man blends sonic flavors and audio textures, old and new, combining certain elements from progressive rock, some from speed metal and those of traditional heavy metal, culminating into eight brand new tracks of epic, modern heavy metal goodness.

The album opens with a banger of a tune reminiscent of the late 80s Judas Priest, Grave Digger-esque speed/heavy metal style of riffage and overall progresses in similar vain all throughout the rest of the tracks on the record. Add to that the epic vocal lines and melodic passages, and you've got a pretty solid and epic sets of songs to bang your head to.

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​​You can't have a heavy metal album in the vain of the 80's without a couple of sweet ballads, and The Greater Good of Man doesn't shy away from that either, making it a complete package. The guitar work is immaculate and fully captures all the elements you'd expect in a heavy metal album-- tasty riffs, blistering solos--and the production compliments it very well too. The guitar is probably my favorite aspect of the entire album (it's that good)--if I had to single out one aspect.

​For all its merits, if there's something that irks me a bit about the album is the fact that it gets a bit too "progressive" at times for my taste, and certain sections on the songs contain "darker" overtones, which might seem a bit out of place or unnecessary at times. With the beautiful melodic sections and epic vocal passages, the album had a lot of potential in being something like HammerFall's earlier works--in-your-face heavy metal combined with great epicness. And with its darker overtones it seems like a gritty Grave Digger album too. But it is the blend of these elements that at times left me wanting for a perfect resolution in either direction. Maybe that's just me.
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​That being said, the album is pretty enjoyable and gets you hooked pretty early on. It is honestly one of the better metal albums churned out by the US this year, and definitely worth checking out for every heavy metal fan out there.

Splintered Throne - The Greater Good of Man will be released August 19th, 2022. Find it here!

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Splintered Throne can be found:
​Bandcamp
Website