I've listened to this disc a lot and it really grabbed me from the first play and hasn't let go. This band really has some serious potential. I love the drumming, which at times is as brutal as death metal, but no bones about it, these guys are very melodic.
The vocalist is really impressive. No screaming here, this guy can sing his ass off and his voice is very complementary to the music. He reminds me of a young Bruce Dickinson and the guitars seem influenced by Maiden, but a hell of a lot faster and much more technical.
The musicianship is top notch and the songs are well structured. The record flows from song to song and holds your attention. The type of CD that gets to the last track, ends and starts again and more often than not gets a second spin instead of playing another record. The opening track is my favorite and horns up to Eric Rutan (Hate Eternal/ Mana Studios) for engineering such a great sounding disc. He really did a great job of making this band burst out of your speakers and I’d bet the band themselves are stoked to have had their art captured in its finest form. Freaking awesome!
There’s a fair amount of melody and harmonies for both the guitars and vocals which make me wonder if anyone in the band sings back up for their live performances? Regardless I can not wait to see these guys. I bet they tear it up. The art work on their CD cover is impressive and the packaging is top notch. A fine power metal release from Metal Blade that is sure to bring a lot of attention to a well deserved band. This is the kind of record that older metal heads who moved onto the heavier genres, namely death and back metal, could hear and say something along the lines of “now this is something I can really appreciate.� This is just incredible, I mean traditional metal gone over the top. Harsh screaming or guttural vocals would have ruined this record. It is flawless! This is so god damned metal MANOWAR probably listens to it! It is so god damned metal you’ll shit bullets when listening to it! Cheese free power metal! It is so god damned metal you will basically be a total poser for not buying it, so get you hands on this disc and be god damned metal!