At first glance, it seems as if little has changed when it comes to the Greyhawk sound. Still combining the epic grandeur of Manowar and Dio with the energy of early 80’s Judas Priest, embedded single “Thunderheart” would have fit comfortably on any of the band’s previous releases. The song’s intro channels JP’s “The Hellion” before settling into an uplifting, mid-paced Dio groove. Berlin throws down a super smooth solo while Wall’s gargantuan bass tone lays down the thunder. I recently heard the band play the song live when they opened for Cirith Ungol, and it was a killer.
But when taken as a whole, Thunderheart reveals a stylistic shift in the realm of Greyhawk. About half of the tracks still hold relatively closely to the band’s tradition of traditional heavy metal (“Spellstone,” title track, “Steadfast,” “Sacrifice of Steel”), but just as many have veered into more standard rock territory. “Rock & Roll City” unsurprisingly rocks hard (and kills live), “Ombria (City of the Night)” is a slow-churning groove-fest that never fails to put the snarl of righteousness upon my face, and “The Golden Candle” closes the record out with a mournful ballad. I really like the feeling Berlin’s lead work brings this time around; I may miss some of his more molten Randy Rhoads-style playing, but I dig this smoother aesthetic used by 80s rock bands like Survivor. In fact, tracks like “The Last Mile” and “Back in the Fight” feel like they could actually have been on the Rocky IV soundtrack, and if you know me, you’d know that this is very high praise.
Singer Rev Taylor is really coming into his own as a frontman; his lower crooning, mid-range singing, and higher shouts feel really powerful on Thunderheart, and I must agree with my son, who upon hearing the first song of the promo said, “I knew it was the Greyhawk singer right away, Dad.” Taylor’s distinctive delivery makes him one of my favorite metal vocalists right now, but I must admit that one aspect of his performance here bothers me. His high falsettos feel pretty thin and become distracting when used in great number like on album-opener “Spellstone;” I honestly don’t think he even needs to go for these notes, because the rest of his game is so strong. I’ve been listening to this record for months now, and I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the songwriting as this feels like a bit of a transitional album. Greyhawk have released some of my favorite traditional metal tunes of all time (“Don’t Wait for the Wizard,” “Black Peak,” “Steelbound“), and there aren’t any tracks here that can match those heights. Still, I’ve been having a blast with Thunderheart, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Thunderheart may not be the ultimate masterpiece that I was hoping for from my hometown heroes, but it’s been a super fun listen nonetheless. The record shows Greyhawk toying with their sound as they continue to hone their identity, and the vast majority of that experimentation works really well. One thing remains certain: whenever life knocks me down, Greyhawk’s blatant positivity will always be there to walk the last mile with me, giving me the courage I need to get back in the fight.
Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Fighter Records
Websites: greyhawkmetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/greyhawkheavymetal
Releases Worldwide: April 2nd, 2024
