Heavy Maytal- Savage Master/ Mystic Storm : "The Power / Wandering Time"

 

This split mini-album from these two bands is set firmly in the days of yesteryear. Savage Master is no stranger to us here, as I really enjoyed the last album, "Dark & Dangerous," that found them moving in a darker direction, but it will be my first time checking out Mystic Storm. Savage Master's first track is more anchored in rock n roll and high on high energy. "The Last Kiss" is similarly paced, though with a marginally darker mood. There are some more deliberate passages. 'The Power finds them locked in a more midtempo headbanging chug that is not unlike Accept or the Scorpions. The pace picks up on the chorus. The songs are all very compactly arranged; they do not break any new ground, though they might lean in a more rock direction. 

Russian band Mystic Storm starts off the first of their three songs with spooky ambiance before, going into 80s worshipping proto thrash lead by what might be considering King Diamond like  falsetto wailing if it was not coming from a woman which makes it a blended register soprano jump, since it's easier for a woman's vocal chords to flip over into this . I like the melodic guitar passages injected in their. I might actually like them better than what Savage Master was doing as it's darker in a more Mercyful Fate direction. The title track to their contributions has a more deliberate menace,. It does slowly build into more of a gallop the time the vocals come in. I am also picking up an old Scorpions influence. 

The last song from these guys "Into the Abyss" has a more Maiden like harmony guitar run, with a very 80s palm muted riff driving the verses. The chorus being darker and more melodic. The melodies she uses a more darkly powerful than what we heard from the more rock approach Savage Master used. It is kinda of weird to rate an album like this but the best way to think of it is that I would give Savage Master's songs a 9as they were a well composed representation of what they do as a band, even though it's a snap shot of them moving in a more rock direction, they did this in a manner that is true to who they are. With that said Mystic Storm's three songs would get a 9.5 as they made we want to search out their other music and dive deeper into who they are. This drops on  Shadow Kingdom June 24th. 

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Savage Master : "Dark & Dangerous"

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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Temple of the Void : " the World That Was "

I got tired of the death doom band wagon every one was jumping on so I dis regarded this one when it showed up in my in-box. I regret doing that as holy shit this album is good. It is dark as fuck and darkness is what I listen for. I was reading an interview with the band and they were talking about the different influences that went into this album and how they were pulling from bands like Alice in Chains and Ride as much as they were Morbid Angel, so how could I not check it out. Yes I do hear those elements. They are done in a way that doesn't take the focus off the death metal back bone of the album. The guitars just use more sonic colors and carry more emotive sounds. Mood wise there is doom, along with the fact they are not blazing at you with a wall of double bass, but the aggression in the chugs of the guitar and the weight of their attack along with the growl of the vocals are all death metal .

Synths play a bigger role on the song " Leave the Light Behind". This one doesn't drag like a doom band, but finds them in a swinging march forward. It also finds them using sung vocals on the chorus. They are more shoe gaze / goth like vocals than the grunge feel some of the guitar melodies carry. I can hear some Entombed influence thrown in as well. They even finds themselves in a pretty aggressive chug midway into this song.  The other places they draw from fit well within the balance of the metal context they are put in. They continue to gain momentum picking up the pace even more on "Casket of Shame" . They are in the more conventional bounds of metal on this one. The lyrics are easy to make out given the articulate rasp of the vocals . The drumming owes more to classic metal on this song. It continues to gain speed until they finds them selves locked into a more thrash like chug.

Going into the title track that closes the album the sorrowful tone to the guitar melodies does have a more Paradise Lost feel, perhaps even doomy enough to cross over into My Dying Bride territory . By My Dying Bride I am talking about "Turn Loose the Swans " not their wimpy new stuff. The keyboards help lend more weight to this comparison. The lyrics are very timely. This song might not grab me as hard as the others  but I will still round this one up to a 10 as it might just need to grow on me. We are just in March, and given the current state of the world who knows how it is going to effect new releases, so this could find it self in the top 10 metal albums of the year if we live til December. I am fine with not making it til December , I can not claim to be into death metal  if I am afraid of death, so if I die and you find this review in December then call it the best death metal album of the year . If I am still alive , I plan on devoting June to death metal , so things might change. Comes out March 27th on Shadow Kingdom.

Beastmaker : "Eye of the Storm"

Sadly this is the swan song for this band. Two of the members are in Haunt, so they are bringing this band to a close in order to focus more on that project. I think judging from the title track that opens this album that I prefer Beastmaker to Haunt. These guys are the more metal of the two band. There are less guitar solos here and a darker mood. That is not to say they have gone back to doom. It still is more up tempo and traditional metal owing more to NWOBHM. The album is no devoid of guitar solos as some crop up on the second song. It never feels likes the songs are just bookends serving as place holders for the solo.

The singer knows the limits of his voice and works well with what he has. It is phrasing and more where he does put his voice. There is a more Juda Priest like harmony to the guitars of "My Only Wish". I like the wailig of his voice here, it has the Ozzy like despondency . Once again the chugs are too driving for this to be doom. I can hear how this would still appeal to fans of doom. The vocals are catchy enough to keep me engaged. There is  a more surreal vibe going into "Celestial Glow". This is broken up by the more aggressive chug of guitars. All the songs do stay at the same mid paced tempo.

The uniform nature of the songs' pacing is really the reason I would round this down to a 9,5, I hope they reconsider bringing this project to an end and perhaps some time away from this band will make their hearts grow fonder . They are certainly closing with such a good album that I do not want to see them go as it would be cool to hear where they are going from here , as I do not see Haunt carrying the same torch,  It would have been nice to get more than a four song good by, but I will take what I can get. .

Haunt : "If Icarus Could Fly"

I like Beastmaker, but I also grew up in the 80s when this kind of metal was big. So I have a mixed relationship with this sort of thing as I was already listening to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden in 1983. The first song starts off a little heavy on the guitar solos. The chorus is a little happy. Church's vocal is more in the Diamond Head range, perhaps a little lower and more laid back. The guitar harmonies feel more Priest than Maiden to me. His voice is not aggressive, so it gives a mellow vibe atop this. If you are smoking a bunch of pot you may not even notice. There is no shortage of guitar solos on the album. The speed picks up to a proto-thrash on "Cosmic Kiss". Even then things are beginning to take on a uniform sound. It's almost like a more upbeat version of In Solitude. This is even more apparent on "Ghosts". Though there is more of a melodic nuance on this one.

"Clarion" drifts into a more cut and paste metal homage. Thanks to the smooth vocal  this steers clear of being power metal. There is a more epic gallop feel to "Winds of Destiny". The vocals are super layered on the chorus. It's like the Scorpions heavier moments. All the songs are under the four and a half minute mark. The guitar solos keep multiplying. The title track benefits from a strong vocal melody to balance the reoccurring guitar harmonies and solos that are all now running together.

The last  song sound more like solo. Obviously Ozzy's knack for vocal lines is a few tiers higher, but these guys are making a pretty decent stab at it. The solos are more Jake E Lee, than Randy Rhodes. I like more than the first album, or at least of what I remember of the first album. Prefer Beastmaker , since they are darker and a form of metal I lean into more as an adult. This is shit that I listened to more as a kid. Though Iron Maiden does stay in regular rotation. I'll give this a 9, it's very well done and the album sounds great. This comes out on Shadow Kingdom Records May 17th.

Troll : "s/t"

The good thing about this band out of Portland is they have some atmosphere and layers to what could otherwise be a more straight forward vest metal. Taking notes from Pallbearer seems to have become the trend in doom. The have lightly crooned floating over the 70s jams.There is more Sabbath worship going on here than what you hear coming from Pallbearer, so that sets them apart. The are also more straight forward metal. Their press release tries to compare their singer to early Sabbath Ozzy and I don't hear it. He doesn't belt it out with the crazed desperation that Ozzy did and lacks the power. His voices is more of texture, there is a word growled hear and there , but his voice has a drugged creepiness to it. The band gets credit for now dragging their songs out into sprawling epics and keeps them concise with the longest hitting the eight and a half minute mark. "the Witch" lumbers somewhere between stoner and doom. The drummer plays around the guitar riff rather than hitting it head on. The mood is more scattered and the vocals don't connect as well with me as they did on the first song.

They play to their strengths more on "An Eternal Haunting". This means less vocals and letting the guitar claim the spot light. The guitars do some pretty interesting things here. I do like the fact the vocals have effects on them and I think they need to go more in that direction.The drummer also steps up his game on this one and makes it my favorite song on here so far.It's jammy and sometimes blues tinged.The vocals come across as being more ethereal, which is smart as this guys is not a metal singer. Sometimes he reminds me more of Andrew Wood from Motherlovebone. This comparison is given even more merit on "Infinite Death". I think this guy could be a decent singer, I think he has an original approach to what he is doing. Sometimes he is not sure about his lower notes and they are out of key. Musically it plays it pretty safe in a Sabbath boogie.

"Savage Thunder" rumbles along the road of more typical doom. The singer goes into his upper register and show a little more balls which is an improvement. I'll give this album an 8, I think these guys have a ton of potential. The vocals could stand to be smoothed out in places and they could play it a little less safe and veer more from the tried and true Sabbath worship and get into the more textured guitar parts where the band shines.

Weird Light : "Doomicvs Vobiscvm"

The hunger for doom strikes me at the oddest times prompting me to give this French band a shot. They play a more traditional Sabbath worshipping brand with clean retro vocals that have a Pallbearer like honesty to them. The band's weakness is the album's production as it lack any bass and there fore lack the balls needed to convince me this has the weight of heaviness. Declared as the best French doom, I suppose that bar is pretty low. With the bottom end so lacking even the more well executed riffs don't have what it takes to really convince me. I like how the vocals are layered on the second track and truth be told the vocals are really what keeps this thing afloat. If you are not a fan of actual singing then you will have to part ways with these guys here. The question is can the vocals alone keep things interesting for the span of a 14 minute song. While they are doom, they do not move at a funereal doom crawl.

Even though this is a post-humous collection of songs they flow together like it all should be one solid album.The atmosphere in the middle section helps spook things out. The drums needed a little more love in post- production the snare sounds like Lars Ulrich tuned it. "Conspiracy of the Dead" is not as long as the previous and has Bela Lugosi sample. It's slower and bluesy with more of a Sabbath feel. The vocals go a little lower and work well with the guitar. "Stare in the Dark" feel a little more strained and though the song is darker it doesn't have the same confidence in it's construction. Even when it speeds up into more of a boogie and the guitar solo comes in something just isn't clicking for me. I know this is just their demo and they couldn't get it together to put out a proper album, for it is I think a 6.5 is generous. Interested to hear if the singer does anything else in the future. France you guys normally bring it when it comes to metal so step up your doom game.