The NWOBHM revivalists have had an insane few years, forming back in just 2022 and dropping their excellent debut just a year later. Fast forward to now, and they have played with some of the biggest names in metal across the UK and Europe, signed to the mighty Napalm records, and had this sophomore release produced by none other than the legendary KK Downing. And all of these things are more than deserved! The band are amazing live and there is little wonder this is on our most anticipated albums of the year list. The singles have been awesome so far, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the full album!
The title track starts things off perfectly, with a massive guitar/synth melody as the rest of the instrumentation builds epically behind it. it then explodes into a massive verse, the perfect combination of NWOBHM and 2000s European power metal. Think Priest meets Hammerfall (the perfect touring partners at the start of the year!). The energy and pace continues through the chorus, yet it definitely has a catchy element to it, too! The harmonies and backing vocals on it are awesome as well, making it sound somehow even bigger. We get a fantastic, very Adrian Smith-like guitar solo (or two) in the middle, being as much a standout moment of the track as anything else. It’s a balls-to-the-wall track from start to finish and the absolute perfect way to open things up. A definite early highlight!
‘Tears in Rain’ opens on a great, Maiden-y riff, and drops back awesomely in the verse; no guitars in the first half of it. They build back in halfway through, chugging the steady, solid pace of the drums and bass, and it all builds even more into a HUGE chorus. It’s surprisingly brief, but I found myself almost impatiently waiting for it to come back around each time. And of course, all the soloing is so good. It almost feels like a lost art form especially for a UK band, to do two plus separate solo sections, but it keeps it constantly interesting and gives everything time to breath, as well as making it even more epic! I’m already obsessed with this song, and it’s one that very easily made our playlist! Two for two so far on excellent tracks!
The epic vibes continue through ‘Follow Me in Death’, another fast-paced track full of plenty of double kick and insanely technical guitaring. Craig’s vocals are as amazing as ever on this too; soaring and powerful, showing off that he really is one of the most underrated frontmen around today. It all again builds to that massive, arena-filling chorus that the band have really nailed on this album, sure to be stuck in my head for days to come! Especially with all those vocal harmonies on it too, making it sound absolutely huge. It also has one of my favourite solos on the whole album, really putting plenty of feeling into the impressively technical playing. This is another massive highlight of the album, and another to make our playlist!
Tracks like ‘Dead Until Dark’, ‘Blood Sacrifice’ and ‘Night Raids’ all carry the energy of the rest of the album through perfectly. All are excellent songs in their own right, but do all have a similar vibe, not that that’s a bad thing. There’s a slight air of AOR about them too, giving off vague H.E.A.T. feelings in the best way. From the massive choruses to the sweeping guitar solos, they’re all so good! The latter in particular is fantastic and another favourite track of mine from the release!
‘Barren Lands and Seas of Red’ is a straight up thrash metal song, and I love it! It’s lightning quick, Painkiller-esque pace is awesome, yet the melodic guitar is also straight up Iron Maiden in the absolute best way. And once again, the chorus is amazing, designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world! The solo once again is absolutely incredible too, showing that Rhea and Zach are just as underrated as Craig is! The whole band are insanely talented though; shoutout to both Tom Hewson and Eddie Mariotti for working their asses off throughout, too. This is an amazing track blending together every single one of their influences, from NWOBHM to power metal to AOR. Another absolutely massive highlight, and one I’ll be listening to a lot moving forward!
The ballad of the album, ‘War in Heaven’, goes just as hard as anything else on it. Starting with a fantastic, retro-synth intro, the beautiful clean guitars soon come in, with Craig’s vocals fitting amazingly over the top. It all builds perfectly with the drums and distorted guitars coming in for the pre and then the typically massive chorus. The synth staying present throughout was a nice touch, keeping its weight and epicness. It’s also perfectly placed on the album; halfway through and after the heaviest track, breaking things up perfectly! If you are into the slower side of metal, this is definitely one for you. And, though I’m sick of saying it, another huge highlight on an album packed full of them!
The final two tracks on the album, ‘Eye of the Storm’ and ‘Eulogy’ are the perfect one-two-punch to end the album. The former, while still heavy, is a bit more ballad-like, having a slightly slower pace and stripped back first verse, contrasting perfectly with the massive, heavier choruses. It almost reminds me of BFMV at times, like a ‘Hearts Burst into Fire’ or ‘Bittersweet Memories’, which surprised me but was also a more than welcome element to their sound! Meanwhile, the closer is a near-seven-minute epic that honestly draws together everything before it. You want epic guitaring and riffs? Soaring vocals and huge choruses? Insane drumming? This has all of it in spades! It’s yet another big highlight of the release, and closes the album in perfect fashion. Damn, amazing!
Overall: This is an absolutely incredible release. Being big supporters of the UK underground scene, we have heard so many incredible bands over the last few years, but few releases have excited me for the future quite like this one. Every track is amazing, Downing did a phenomenal job on the production and the band all got to show off their amazing talent throughout. They seem primed to follow in the footsteps of Those Damn Crows, Florence Black and Massive Wagons and transcend the scene, though they’ve arguably done that already alongside Napalm. If you are at all a fan of metal, this is an absolute must-listen. I’ll surely be listening to it a lot moving forward, and don’t be surprised to see it high on our albums of the year list come December!
The Score: 9.5/10