“Fäghring is what you might imagine the soundtrack to be if you happened upon a pagan cult in the woods. Kind of “Number of The Beast” meets Midsommar. Birds play a prominent role, and you can almost imagine the canopy of trees gently bending with the breeze throughout. The album begins slowly with a chorus of birds before the chants and drums let you know something more sinister is going on.” Forest packages abound.
“Achelous play fantasy-inspired power metal. While many of their contemporaries keep their tattered volumes of J.R.R. Tolkein close to their breastplates, Achelous use their second full-length album to create a soundtrack for R.A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale trilogy. I’ve never read Salvatore’s work, but The Icewind Chronicles gives me a pretty good sense of the epic battles that take place within its pages. The record contains their characteristic folk, power, and operatic metal leanings and like Blind Guardian or Manowar, Achelous packs a lot of high adventure into a five-minute song. They’ve been sharpening their axes, but is the battlefield too crowded for another album of dwarves, crystals, and flaming warfare?” Roll the ice dice.
“Two months into 2022 and Thunderor have already released the best album cover of the year. Part Painkiller, part Jester Race, all airbrushed metal glory. Thunderor is the NWOTHM pet project of Skull Fist drummer JJ Tartaglia who is joined by ex-Skull Fist guitarist Johnny Nesta and ex Annihilator bassist Oscar Rangel. After reading the press release, one can imagine the moment Tartaglia saw Manowar’s “Return of the Warlord” video and traded his skateboard for a chopper and his Vans for a pair of studded boots.” Heavy metal Thunderor.
“Yes, Rachel Mother Goose is an odd name and no, I don’t know why they chose to call themselves that. Given that RMG is a Japanese band and given many of the curious lyric choices (all in English), I imagine something was lost in translation. I had never heard of this band before Steel Druhm handed it off, but the mention of Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen as primary influences had me intrigued. How would a band of young Japanese shredders update the bloated neoclassical metal genre? Would it be full “Speed King” ahead with epic Blackmorean riffs? Or a neoclassical wank fest of Rising Forced arpeggios?” Duck, duck, Yngwie!
