Angry Metal Guy

Stormzone // Zero to Rage
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Be TRUE to your (old) school
Label: SPV Records
Websites: myspace.com/stormzoneuk | facebook.com/stormzonemetal
Release Dates:  EU: Out now! | US: 11.22.2011

Way back as a newbie first year reviewer for the world-renowned Angry Metal Guy, no release floored me quite like Stormzone‘s Death Dealer.  Although I’d never heard of these Belfast hooligans, their hardcore NWOBHM worship and excellent song writing really got my blood riled up. Accordingly, Death Dealer got Steel Druhm’s only perfect score for 2010 and ended up my album of the year as well. Fast forward to 2011 and it’s a grizzled, jaded, cynical Steel Druhm that greets their new release, Zero to Rage. So, do things look different now that my doe-eyed youth has been drained away by long hours, crappy releases, zero pay and spiteful hate mail? Not really! They still embody the very essence of the NWOBHM style that I love dearly and still traffic in the ways of Saxon, Grim Reaper, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. When they hit their stride, they’re as metal as metal gets and no school sounds older. They also prove once again they’re capable of writing metal anthems that rock my metalverse. While this is a little less immediate than Death Dealer, it’s yet another mammoth dose of old style metal with enough hooks for a month-long fishing trip and enough muscle for an amateur bodybuilding contest. These guys have an infectious swagger and charm all their own and it’s still coming through loud and proud. So, don your high tops, skin-tight jeans and bullet belts and climb aboard the Way Back Machine™ as I set the dial to 1983! Continue reading

Battle Beast // Steel
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — The power of steel, the scent of cheese
Label: Hype Records
Websites: hypeproductions.fi/battlebeast | myspace.com/battlebeastband
Release Dates:  Out Worldwide!

So there Steel Druhm was, sitting with a promo entitled Steel by the unknown Finns called Battle Beast. A quick perusal of the song titles made it clear they graduated Summa Cum LOUDLY from the Manowar School of Song Namery, as the numerous mentions of “metal,” “steel” and “iron” attest. The cover features a lion man fighting a robot as drawn by a ten year old at metal summer camp. Despite my renowned power metal geekdom, I felt a sense of dread and apprehension as I pressed play. Well damn it all if this thing isn’t full of surprises. Steel is a raging slab of frenetic, over-the-top 80′s metal worship that ladles out heaping helpings of thick cheese sauce and demands that you take seconds. Raging twin guitars, heroic solos, uber dramatic song structures and the vocals, Dear God the vocals!! The singer has a huge set of lungs and an even bigger set of balls which are frequently stuck in a vice! From gravelly, rasping shouts, air raid siren screams and superior singing, he can do it all and its so damn metal it kills my neighbor’s lawn. Imagine my shock to find out there are no balls to put in the vice because the HE is actually a SHE! That’s right, Nitte Valo is a true metal queen and she’s flat out brilliant on this album. However, unless you love the classic sounds of 80′s metal (think Grim Reaper, old Grave Digger, Accept) mixed with a smattering of power metal, this will leave you running for the door but quick. It revels in all the cliches and idiocy of that era and these folks certainly aren’t trying to be the next Opeth. You still with me? OK, stay with me. Continue reading

In Solitude // The World. The Flesh. The Devil.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — A (King) diamond in the rough
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: myspace.com/insolitudeheavymetal
Release Dates: Out Now Worldwide!

Steel Druhm likes his old Mercyful Fate. Yep, those first two albums and the early EPs were pure metal magic and some of the best stuff the genre every coughed up. Needless to say, I support the sudden wave of Mercyful Fate influenced retro metal that’s been popping up of late. We have Ghost, Hell and now you can add In Solitude to this heady witch’s brew with their second release The World. The Flesh. The Devil. Along with fellow Swedes Ghost, these gents are shamelessly robbing the graves of the Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath albums and trying to bring some of that ancient black magic into 2011. While Ghost took elements of the Fate sound and added poppy, catchy hooks, In Solitude stays much closer to the source material. They actually sound A LOT like the great Fate as they trot our their own tales of demons, devil worship and all things malevolent. So, does their similarity to a Mercyful Fate tribute band necessarily mean I love them too? In this case, yes, yes it does. I love them and I’m man enough to admit it! Continue reading

Twisted Tower Dire // Make It Dark
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — 80s cheese designed to please!
Label: Cruz Del Sur Records
Websites: twistedtowerdire.com | myspace.com/twistedtowerdire
Release Dates: EU: 2011.05.13 | US: 05.03.2011

C’mon, more old school 80s metal? When is enough enough? For folks like Angry Metal Guy, enough came six minutes after the first 80s retro album appeared [It was at least 12 or 14 minutes - AMG]. But Steel Druhm says as long as it’s good, keep it coming and add the cheese! That brings us to the Virginia crew Twisted Tower Dire. These stalwart gents have been plying their vintage early 80′s style since 1995 and Make It Dark is their fifth old school crusade. Taking their main cues from Iron Maiden and merging it with old Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy and Diamond Head, Twisted Tower‘s sound has evolved over the years into something akin to Slough Feg or Pharaoh. Working in their favor over their career was a determination to continually hone and refine their sound and songwriting chops. Make It Dark keeps that evolution headed in the right direction and this is their strongest effort to date. Loaded with vibrant, energetic, guitar driven metal with the true spirit of the 80s present in every note, this is a helluva lot of fun to play and play loud! Continue reading

Stormzone // Death Dealer
Rating: 5.0/5.0 – It’s raining true metal!!
Label: SPV / Steamhammer
Websites: myspace.com/stormzoneuk
Release Dates: EU. 03.05.2010 | US: 05.04.2010

Neal Kay, for those who don’t know, is widely credited with discovering and championing Iron Maiden way back in the day. Well, if that wasn’t service enough to the metal world, now he has helped bring us Northern Ireland’s classic metal masters Stormzone and their new album Death Dealer. This is no small accomplishment because, quite simply, this album is an absolute masterpiece of classic metal and full to the brim with top quality metal anthems. Stormzone is a band deeply entrenched in the early NWOBHM style and composed of musicians like vocalist John “Harv” Harbinson, with ties to bands of that era (Sweet Savage, Fastway). All the trappings of the British metal invasion are here and fans of that sound and seminal masters like of Saxon and Grim Reaper will immediately hear it in the sound and attitude exhibited on Death Dealer.

Stormzone sets the mood quickly with the title track, a muscular, battlefield tough rocker that showcases their stripped down, no nonsense instrumentation and the outstanding vintage metal vocals of Harv. This is the kind of song made to pump you up and perfect to roar down the highway blasting at top volume. The guitar work from Keith Harris and Chris Polin recalls the dueling guitar work of Judas Priest at their best and really keeps the show moving and shaking as Harv spins his tales of war, battles, heroism and loss. Harv bases his vocals mostly around a mid-range, tough guy delivery style not too dissimilar from Blaze Bayley, but he can hit the higher notes when the songs call for it. Time and time again, his phrasing and vocal choices further elevate already superior songs to a superb level while adding that extra layer of coolness and punch. Lyrically, Death Dealer borrows heavily from the old Manowar albums with odes to courage, bravery, warrior spirit and all such Angry Metal Guy Approved Topics™ but none of it comes across as overly corny or cheesy.

Song after song on Death Dealer showcase a writing and performing prowess that has to impress since all twelve songs are addictive, hook-laden metal monsters. Over the 70 plus minutes of Death Dealer, things never get boring or stale and you get treated to one huge vocal or guitar hook after another. Although this is great from start to finish, extra special gems include the title track, “Secret Gateway,” “Immortals,” “The Legend Carries On,” and “Greatest Sacrifice.”

The mighty Neal Kay himself assisted with the production and he has carved a sound that is completely bare bones and devoid of any trace of modern elements or studio wizardry. This is a minimalist work of metal genius. Sound-wise, Death Dealer seems to purposely mimic the production found on metal albums recorded in 1980-1984 and sports that odd, tinny but cool sound Carl Canedy frequently gave albums he produced around that time (think Overkill’s Feel the Fire or Anthrax’s Spreading the Disease).

Death Dealer is top quality metal from beginning to end with everything coming together exactly right. Importantly, you don’t have to be a fan of the retro metal movement to appreciate what these guys have accomplished here. This is an album for any fan of the metal genre and is a strong candidate for best metal album of the year. This gets the highest possible rating and recommendation. Don’t miss this release for verily it doth rock. Thanks again Neal!!

Steelwing // Lord of the Wasteland
Rating: 4.0/5.0 – NWOBHM Parmesan!
Label: Noiseart Records
Websites: myspace.com/steelwing
Release Dates: EU: 30.04.2010 | US: Import 05.04.2010

Steelwing? Never heard of them. I toss in Lord of the Wasteland to see what I am dealing with and POW!! I get punched right in the face by an angry, metal spiked fist from 1982! This Stockholm, Sweden based band may be young and only formed in 2009, but man can they bring the pure, unadulterated NWOBHM power to the party. On this, their debut album, they shamelessly steal the best recipes from Iron Maiden, Saxon, Grim Reaper and Warlord and cook up a surprisingly fresh sounding, if utterly unoriginal metal meatloaf of riffs and attitude with enough cheese coating to choke a mastodon. Steelwing gives you eight fast and furious traditional metal anthems played by musicians who clearly worship at the altar of early 80’s metal and know exactly how that epoch of metal should sound.

The time traveling party kicks off with Enter the Wasteland, an intro track that sounds more than a little like Diamondhead’s “Am I Evil” (and I am 100% sure that was intentional). This intro gives fair warning of exactly how these youngsters intend to bludgeon you for the next hour. What follows is one classic 80’s metal onslaught after another that will transport older listeners back to a time when this whole “heavy metal” thing was new, exciting and unpredictable. If you were a metal fan in the 80’s, you simply can’t hear tracks like “Roadkill” (the first single and video), “Headhunter” or “The Nightwatcher” and not smile ear to ear.

All the songs feature Maiden-esque guitar riffs, galloping drumming and some WAY over the top metal vocals by frontman Riley. In fact, so over the top are the vocals at times that you have to wonder if certain parts of the poor guy’s anatomy are stuck in a crushing device (ex. near the end of “The Illusion”—guys, don’t try to hit that note while singing along or you’ll be visiting the doctor for an unpleasant adjustment). Every track is straight forward in structure and all exemplify good, old fashioned, metal songwriting. There aren’t any really weak tracks  here and all rock pretty damn hard (“Roadkill”, “The Illusion”, and “Headhunter” being my personal favorites). The production is crisp and clear enough to bring everything over properly and the instruments are all given their own space and chance to shine. The lyrics are so painfully metal and clichéd that even Manowar would cringe and look away, but that only adds to the cheesy fun factor. This is exactly why Lord of the Wasteland works so well. It’s fun as hell!

The star of Lord of the Wasteland is undoubtedly the guitar work by Robby Rockbag (awe-inspiring pseudonym) and fellow axe man Alex and together they generate one catchy, memorable riff after another and keep things blasting along at a breakneck pace throughout. This album is an air guitar player’s wet dream and may cause guitar elbow if not used in moderation. Honorable mention has to go to vocalist Riley, who I hope suffered no debilitating groin injuries during the recording of this album.

Fun and pure nostalgia aside, if you have a soft spot in your angry metal heart for the type of music that was being churned out by Iron Maiden and Saxon in the early 80’s, then Lord of the Wasteland should be a big hit and take you back in time.  Steelwing knows how to write and play some very catchy and infectious metal and they put on a clinic of era-specific metal worship (like Hammerfall without all the poserism). Well, since I’m stuck back in 1982 now, I’m going to write Kill ‘Em All before Metallica does and put them out of business before they grow up and destroy the world. All Hail the Past!