Burning Sun – Retribution Review

By Angry Metal Guy

By: Nameless_n00b_607

It has been a much slower year for power metal than I would like. There have been a couple of fun releases here and there, but the volume of quality output has been very low. The classic ‘90s style of guitar-forward and keyboard-minimalist power metal has been significantly lacking in particular, and Burning Sun is looking to change that. Naming themselves after a Helloween song,1 this half-Hungarian, half-Chilean duo is on a mission to tell a classic fantasy story through a legacy sound. Burning Sun’s sophomore album, Retribution, lands only two years after their debut, Wake of Ashes, continuing the story of a paladin named Emaly.2

Burning Sun pays homage to various ‘90s European power metal bands well. While the debut was all about breakneck brightness, Retribution sets its sights towards the guitar grit of Iron Savior and Primal Fear (“Cold Winds,” “Fight in the Night”). The anthemic qualities of Helloween dominate across the board (“Open Your Eyes,” “Shadows Undone”),3 and the occasional Iron Maiden-informed gallops and choruses are a welcome presence. Of the duo, Zoltán Papi4 handles the bass and lyrics, whereas Pancho Ireland doubles as vocalist and guitarist. Ireland has a knack for emulating the classic style of power metal riffage they’re no doubt both fans of, opting for rhythmic hooks rather than lighting up the fretboard. He has upped his vocal game, too, navigating wail and grit in Zak Stevens fashion. Furthermore, he is now the only lead vocalist. Where the debut disoriented itself, juggling three voices, Retribution relies solely on Ireland’s pipes and is better for it. Reducing the number of hands on deck reinforces both vocal and instrumental cohesion.

Burning Sun’s focus on guitars over keyboards is a welcome change from current norms. Power metal of the European variety is often mischaracterized as the over-the-top synth-laden side of the genre, even though it’s never been that simple.5 I love a good mission to Mars, but sometimes remaining at ground level is a better option, and Retribution largely sticks to German conventions. Burning Sun enforces a guitar-first attitude and swears by the triumvirate of soaring anthemic vocals, triumphant guitars, and charming choruses. The culmination of this approach is the stunning Primal Fearesque lead guitar melody on “Cold Winds.” Unfortunately, Retribution does stray from its own design philosophy at times. For example, the moodier ‘80s synth stomper “Aftermath” features some vocal fumbles and feels out of place so early into the album. The voice acting at the end of “Cold Winds” is unintentionally hilarious and breaks immersion—once again confirming that storytelling works best when left to the music and lyrics. The album’s minor drawbacks fortunately never snowball into any major issues, and it never loses its critical fun factor.

Retribution is short and sweet but could pack a bigger punch. I’m a big fan of the trend of younger (and even some older) bands starting to write tight and concise records again, and Retribution is no exception. Below 40 minutes and sans the gargantuan epics that often characterize the genre, it’s a highly replayable breeze. But it feels like Burning Sun is still holding back its full potential. The record does its job well but lacks ambition, and I wouldn’t mind it flying a bit closer to the sun—just a bit more heft, speed, and drama to spice things up throughout. Retribution doesn’t need more songs; its material just needs to rip and tear more. It lacks a true barn burner, the likes of “Steel Tormentor,” or indeed, “Burning Sun.” Cuts like “Heart of Darkness” and “By the Light” are damn close to fortune and glory. Likewise, further production improvements can only help. The sound is better than on the debut, but it could still use punchier drums and more prominent bass. I’m content with what the album delivers, but the flame can and should burn brighter.

Retribution is a fun throwback to the glory days of power metal. Burning Sun isn’t doing anything extraordinary, but they’ve accomplished their goals of writing a good, earnest tale of swords and sorcery. It’s the sort of comfort food that I can never have enough of. The trajectory looks promising for Burning Sun, and I’m curious to see if they can enchant their blades in the future and set aflame the ground beneath.

Rating: Good!
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Metalizer Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Release Date: August 22nd, 2025

#2025 #30 #Aug25 #BurningSun #ChileanMetal #Europower #Helloween #HungarianMetal #IronMaiden #IronSavior #MetalizerRecords #PowerMetal #PrimalFear #Retribution #Review #Reviews #WorldOfWarcraft

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
EKTOMORF Release New Single And Music Video

https://bravewords.com/news/ektomorf-release-new-single-and-music-video/

#Ektomorf #SuicideNote #BleedingNoseRecords #Hungary #HungarianMetal #NewSingle #MusicVideo #October2025 #MetalNews #HeavyMetal

This week's #ThursDeath is the excellent 2024 demo from Vér, a death metal band from Budapest, Hungary who have a killer old school type sound. Four songs here after a brief intro, and this one is really well-recorded, too. A great slab of death metal here.

https://ver-deathmetal.bandcamp.com/album/demo

#metal #DeathMetal #Budapest #Hungary #HungarianBands #HungarianMetal #Ver #OSDM #IndieMetal @wendigo @HailsandAles @Kitty @BlackenedGreen @umrk @lola

Thy Catafalque – XII: A gyönyörū álmok ezután jönnek

By Ferox

Angry Metal Guy’s Guide to Not Sucking Anymore is a manual for surviving n00bdom and a window into the mind of our founder. In seventy-nine pages of psychologically revealing prose, this actual book whipped my class into form by teaching us to structure our reviews with one or maaybe two paragraphs describing a band’s sound. How could you ever pull that off with Tamás Kátai’s prolific Thy Catafalque? ”Piros Koksi, Fekete Ej,” the opening track of new album XII, kicks off with a rock riff that evokes New Order before segueing into a long section capturing Primordial’s sweep and grandeur. Heavy sections and parts where a woman sings “nah-nah-nah” fight their way in, before it resolves into an acoustic outro. That’s one song! Thy Catafalque has been attempting the musical equivalent of free solo climbs for two decades. They should have plummeted to earth years ago, but Kátai and his rotating band of collaborators reach the summit every time. Can they do it again, or is XII the “splat” that awaits every glory hound?

XII finds Thy Catafalque retreating from the heaviness of last year’s excellent Alföld. The metal sections dominate here and there, but Kátai’s wandering muse often takes up with folk and prog. Classical and acoustic instruments add warmth and a sense of nostalgia. Over twenty musicians contribute to XII, including singers and frequent collaborators Attila Bakos and Martina Veronika Horväth. The album ends with soothing bird tweets. It’s a lot–and for the first time ever, Kátai brings in an outside producer in Gábor Vári to help him wrestle it all to the deck. They mostly pull it off. XII is less cohesive and urgent than Thy Catafalque’s best work, but there are thrilling highs along the way.

XII plays like a journey, one where lots of things go as hoped but there are missed connections and maybe a pickpocketing or two along the way. Those who prize atmosphere will find wispy sections to get lost in. Songs like “Villagnak Vilaga,” the aforementioned “Piros Koksi, Fekete Ej” and the duet “Lydiához” conjure a sense of place and a mood of reflection. “Vakond” opens with a whistled passage before engaging playfully with the folk traditions of Kátai’s native Hungary. That nostalgic vibe is not all about the gauzy and gorgeous, despite that sun-drenched cover. “Vakond” segues into a synths-dominated section that feels like it’s evoking Kátai’s memories of some long-shuttered Budapest nightclub. Banger “Vasgyár” is an ode to the rotting ironworks that once fueled Hungary’s economy and still haunt its landscapes. If you give XII some time and attention, you’ll come away feeling like you just took a vacation in Tamás Kátai’s memory palace.

You will not come away from XII with a melted face. If you want to get Wormed or Replicant-ed, have your passport stamped elsewhere–XII is just not that committed to being a metal album. The heavy songs and passages that do pop up are cathartic and fun. “Mindenevo” drops the first harsh vocals into the mix, and it roars and stomps before it falls completely silent for a while and then does a dungeon synth kind of thing. That track segues into the killer “Vasgyár.” The two songs, taken together, are my favorite section of the album–but I can be a knuckle-dragger like that. “Alahullas” engages with Thy Catafalque’s black metal roots to stirring effect. Still and all, you’re not booking passage on 70000 Tons of Metal here. The metal songs are day trips that enliven a calmer journey than adrenaline junkies might be seeking.

Angry Metal Guy’s Guide to Not Sucking Anymore teaches us to conclude with a summary that finds pathos, if timid and underfed n00bs can scrape some up in our hearts.1 With XII, Tamás Kátai has followed his muse (he always does) into some very personal places (that’s where it always goes). I appreciate his restless spirit and I was mostly happy to take the trip with him. There are some unfortunate hiccups–closer “A Gyonyuro Almok Ezutan Jonnek,” with its handclaps and cloying attempts to rouse, is a lowlight in Thy Catafalque’s catalog. It’ll take some time for XII to find its place in the band’s incredible discography, But a few dips in quality and focus, combined with the smaller portions of metal doled out, mean that I’ll remember other journeys with the band more fondly than I will XII.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: thycatafalque.bandcamp.com| thy-catafalque.hu
Releases Worldwide: November 15, 2024

#2024 #30 #AvantGardeMetal #HungarianMetal #NewOrder #Nov24 #Primordial #Replicant #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #ThyCatafalque #Wormed

#ThursDeath this week? Hungary's TOMB PORTAL. Their new record 'Enthanatogen' came out in April. It's brutal, it's cavernous, and the singer legitimately sounds like he's going through physical pain as he growls and screeches through these tracks. Contender for end of year lists, for sure.

https://bonechapel13.bandcamp.com/album/enthanatogen

#metal #DeathMetal #HungarianMetal #Hungary #HungarianBands #OSDM #TombPortal #Budapest @wendigo @HailsandAles @BlackenedGreen @umrk @Kitty

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
Graves Of The 80s: TORMENTOR Anno Domini
Learn something about Attila Csihar today.

https://metalinjection.net/editorials/graves-of-the-80s/graves-of-the-80s-tormentor-anno-domini

#Tormentor #ANNODOMINI #GravesOfThe80s #Metal #BlackMetal #ThrashMetal #DarkerThanBlack #MetalsUberAlles #HungarianMetal #1990sMetal #Kreator

78% 🤘🏻

Thy Catafalque
[2021] Vadak
https://album.link/pt/i/1556984573

#AvantGardeMetal #ProgressiveMetal #FolkMetal #HungarianMetal 🇭🇺