One of the questions posed during the end of the countdown I did with Ghost Cult Magazine was where has traditional metal gone? Here is a band that is certainly trying to revive it. Stacey Savage's voice improves with each album, but the added production value does not hurt this. This is the band's 5th album, so they know what they are doing and have perfected the process. The flashy yet melodic guitar solos that marked this sort of thing in the 80s are intact. The first song "Warrior's Call" chugs along with an authority not unlike Judas Priest. Similar could be said of the straightforward approach taken on the song "Black Rider". It takes you back to a time when the vocals were an integral part of the song and not just an afterthought.
Things go in a more Dokken-like direction for "The Edge of Evil". It's anthemic and hookier than what I recall hearing from this band before. The pace picks up for "Devil's Child". "Screams From the Cellar" is more memorable, though they both bang their heads closer to the middle of the metal road. If you mainly listen to any genre with technical in the title I am not sure why you even clicked on this review in the first place, as this is not for you, less is more here. "Never Ending Fire" crosses the line over into a more rock n roll sound.
"Devil Rock" takes the mood of Mercyful Fate and merges it with Scorpions-like riffing, Stacey does not really change her vocal approach for it. There is also a Lizzy Borden-like vibe to it. "I Never Wanted to Fall In Love" reminds me of Ratt's "Round and Round", though it's not as hooky at the chorus, The first song that measures up against the metal of today in terms of intensity is the more power-metal thrash of "When the Twilight Meets the Dawn". It's heavier but conforms more closely to the status quo of that genre, The last song ends in theme with the obligatory power ballad at the end of every album from the era they are paying homage to. I'll give this album a 9 which is fair considering it's not the most original thing I have heard, b ut it is one of the better tributes to this era of classic metal, I've heard since Crypt Sermon, I like Crypt Sermon more as it's darker and heavier bu this is an improvement for this band. This album drops March 28th on Shadow Kingdom.
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