“AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö” is a time-honored tradition to showcase the most underground of the underground—the unsigned and unpromoted. This collective review treatment continues to exist to unite our writers in boot or bolster of the bands who remind us that, for better or worse, the metal underground exists as an important part of the global metal scene. The Rodeö rides on.”
Do you like ancient war? Do you like Manowar?1 Well, if you’re a gigantic poseur, and don’t like your metal heavy, true, and regressive, then you should stand far from the altar that War Dance adorns with epic-minded guitarwork, bass-led thrusts, and untrained fury. A proper heavy metal song in its purest form is simple: big chorus, hot solo, overdriven riff. And, with a lick of their own regional melody, War Dance practices this plain and powerful art with the care of battle and steel. Proud to be heavy metal, Sons of Thunder, the Greeks’ sophomore outing, promises MOAR riffs, MOAR solos, and MOAR swords for our Rodeö champions. Rest assured, even if War Dance doesn’t win the battle with our seasoned lovers of the riff, they will never stop the fight, blades held high. – Dolphin Whisperer
War Dance // Sons of Thunder [May 6th, 2023]
Steel Druhm: I’ve been screaming in the night for more sword metal and finally, the Rodeö Council has been prodded into action and the sword has been delivered. Greek trve metal act War Dance play a style that owed a large debt to Manowar along with early days power metal, and on sophomore opus Sons of Thunder they offer 48 minutes of chest-thumping, warhammer-swinging warriorcore. At times they manage to channel the glory days of Manowar quite loudly as on the title track, which reeks of the Fighting the World days, and especially on the very silly but quite entertaining “Warlords of Metal.” It helps that Eleftherios Pletsis has a delivery that reminds a lot of Eric Adams, though he has about a quarter of The Great One’s divine vocal power. While songs like “Infinite Fire” and “Nekyia” are solid, the problem here is the very one-note songcraft. Nearly every track is mid-tempo and plods along without much in the way of variety or diversity. This causes all the songs to bleed together into a staccato death march that gets tiresome by the halfway point. It isn’t until penultimate track “Slaughter in the Hall” that they kick things into the next gear, but by then the battle has been lost. The tendency to add tooty-fruity power metal accents at times also does them no favors, with cuts like “Rain of Arrows” and “Enter the Kingdom” feeling too light and bouncy for the blood-drenched battlefield. I’m the exact demographic for what War Dance does, but I need MOAR war in my Manometal. There’s some potential, but the steel needs much sharpening. 2.5/5.0
Kenstrosity: “OH. OW. OWW.” That’s the first thing you hear when you hit play on War Dance’s Sons of Thunder. Unfortunately, it isn’t the last time I hear it, either, as opening title track regurgitates that annoying sample over and over again during the album’s opening track. The Greek Manowar worshippers thankfully leave that dead horse alone after that, moving forward with the stomping march of “Stygian Waters,” fist-pumping riffs and burbling bass putting tons of muscle on this sponge. War Dance soon thereafter reveal a strange reliance on the mid-paced stadium rocker formula, which constitutes a double-edged Megaton Sword. On the one side, you have reliably muscular and crowd-pleasing anthems which, while not mind-blowing throwback material, will always succeed in a live setting. On the other, you end up with a near-fifty-minute record that feels closer to seventy minutes of traditional heavy metal lacking dynamics, ebb and flow, or fire. Still, there are nuggets of forge-worthy ore on the back end that make the trek somewhat worth it, such as the awesome “Infinite Fire” and “Warlords of Metal.” The album also sounds pretty good, with great tones across all instruments and a nice, balanced mix that allows each player a bright spotlight at choice intervals. Sadly, those shining attributes can’t make up for the lack of excitement or engagement I feel for Sons of Thunder. 2.0/5.0
Maddog: One look at this cover art and song titles like “Warlords of Metal” should tell you that War Dance loves Manowar. These Greeks’ brand of epic heavy metal on their sophomore full-length Sons of Thunder feels trite but entertaining. Opener “Sons of the Thunder” grabs your attention with infectious vocal melodies and gang shouts. The first half of the record follows suit, with irresistible energy and thoughtful songwriting. The folky melodies and percussion on “Rain of Arrows” and the no-frills energy of “Enter the Kingdom” add variety to War Dance’s formula. All along, Tassos Pananoudakis’ bass melodies add thumping fun to both highlights (“Stygian Waters”) and weaker tracks (“Nekyia”). Sons of Thunder struggles as it progresses, settling into a more generic Manowar routine. While the album’s 48-minute length seems manageable, my ears crave more variety, and War Dance doesn’t always deliver. With some exceptions like the epic “Slaughter in the Hall”2 and the galloping “Infinite Fire,” much of the back half goes in one ear and out the other. Sons of Thunder is unlikely to survive in my rotation because of its cookie-cutter segments and its weaker second half. But I’m glad that Dolph sent it my way. If you aren’t a wimp or a poser, Sons of Thunder is worthwhile listening. 2.5/5.0
Crispy Hooligan: In the quest to open a Grecian Manowar franchise, War Dance crash their phalanx headlong against the formidable concentric walls of production challenges, compositional stagnation, and amateur musical proficiency. Self-production is an unenviable task with a steep learning curve, so one might forgive War Dance for the often reedy guitar tone, overpowering yet raggedy bass, and misguided backing chants (though the ‘I stepped on a LEGO at 4 am’ yelps on “Sons of the Thunder” are indefensible). One gets the sense that War Dance recorded Sons of Thunder sequentially, as both the compositions and production steadily improve as the album goes. It is more troubling that in the attempt to emulate the Manowar formula, War Dance loses sight of its own strengths and limitations. Guitarist Tassos Pananoudakis is the clear power metal standout (“Enter the Kingdom”), but the routine absence of a rhythm guitar track diminishes his lynchpin solos. Vocalist Lefteris Pletsis musters an impassioned delivery in his Eric Adams mimicry, but even at his best he stumbles between potentially rousing choruses and downright disorienting verses (“Warlords of Metal”). While War Dance charms with Sons of Thunder’s earnestness, the band sorely needs outside assistance punching up their melodies. 1.5/5
