🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #SeekAndDestroy

Liege Lord:
🎵 Kill the King

#LiegeLord

https://liegelord.bandcamp.com/track/kill-the-king

https://open.spotify.com/track/1xxVDNbQYHvhvVu20wvfJ1

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Liege Lord:
🎵 Cast Out

#LiegeLord

https://liegelord.bandcamp.com/track/cast-out

https://open.spotify.com/track/3lksi1AmUn2X0UmzegpJJJ

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Medieval Steel – Gods of Steel Review

By Steel Druhm

Medieval Steel are a classic example of a band that had way more talent than luck. They dropped an EP in 1984 that was well-regarded and earned them attention. I was certainly spinning it often as a surly and belligerent teen since it slotted in well with Manowar, Cities, and Warlord.1 There should have been enough momentum from the EP to build a real following, but Megaforce Records kept them in limbo and didn’t properly promote or support them. A new demo was recorded in 86 but never officially released, and the band soon called it a day. They reformed in 2013 to drop their long-delayed full-length debut, and in keeping with their hardscrabble musical career, it’s taken them 10 years to follow it up. Gods of Steel is that follow-up and it has what may be the most Steel-baity album art of all time. So what does a band out of time and seemingly born to lose sound like in 2024? Let’s rip open this time capsule together.

I mean it as a positive when I say the opening title track hits like a nuclear missile fired from 1986. “Gods of Steel” is like the perfect fusion of Manowar, Saxon, and Liege Lord and my back hair was overflowing with fur bounty even before founding frontman Bobby Franklin arrived to wail and kill. This is so painfully 80s that the nostalgia could clog an artery in a lifer like myself. Big, burly trad riffs and pounding drums are the groundwork for Bobby’s larger-than-life vocals and the song commands respect as it goads you toward war and retribution. This is swordcore done well and you will feel blessed by the favor of Ares. “Kill the Pain” keeps the crusade going with a rowdy, punchy sound full of machismo and testosterone. The meaty riffs cruncha-muncha as Bobby sings of pain, suffering, and redemption. The heaviness factor is quite pleasing and the hooks are real and tough to extract. “Soldier of Fortune” is anthemic 80s magic with tons of references to Savage Grace, Lizzy Borden and Marching Out era Yngwie. It’s catchy as fook with a chorus that sells harder than that Phoof™ guy.

While songs like “Great White Warrior” have grand moments, there are some lesser inclusions here that bring the badass levels down. “Memories” is a sappy power ballad that almost works but is just too maudlin and cringey for its own good. “Maneater” is infused with heavy riffs but it’s a very stock 80s rock/metal cut that Y&T could have come up with, and closer “Satanic Garden” is a bit better but also underwhelming. That makes Gods of Steel a mixed bag of swords and rubber chickens with strong moments sharing space with lackluster ones. Luckily, the balance of the 43-minute runtime favors the bold.

The biggest surprise for someone who loved the band’s 80s output is just how well Bobby Franklin’s vocals have aged over the decades. He had a voice like a laser back in the day and little of the wattage has dulled over time. He sounds meaner and more badass now with a newfound rough-hewn edge, but the highs are still there and he’s still a commanding vocalist with gravitas and power. He often reminds me of Ancient Empire’s Joe Liszt but with more range. New slinger Jeff Miller comes ready for battle with a truckload of hefty riffs sure to plow your brain field. On the heavier cuts he really tears into your ears with thick leads and big grooves, giving the material a biker bar toughness. Chris Cook has been manning the kit since the demo days and his powerhouse war drumming style hits hard and forces you into formation. If only the writing was more consistent, this crew could knock down some walls and take some scalps in the metal world.

I’ll always have affection for Medieval Steel and I’m thrilled to see them active again. When Gods of Steel is good, it’s very good, and when it’s not, it isn’t terrible. Now if they could just deliver the next album before 2030 we’d be getting somewhere! If you like traditional metal done with class and conviction, check out their 84 EP and then give this one a flyer. You just might find a new place to plant your extra swords. Steel on Steel wiolence complete.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: facebook.com/profile | instagram.com/medievalsteelband
Releases Worldwide: May 3rd, 2024

#2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #Cities #GodsOfSteel #HeavyMetal #LiegeLord #Manowar #May24 #MedievalSteel #Review #Reviews #Saxon #SelfReleases #Warlord

Attacker – The God Particle Review

By Steel Druhm

New Jersey’s Attacker have a decades-long history but seem to exist in perpetual near-obscurity outside of the Tri-State area. Hitting the scene in 1985 with their Battle at Helm’s Deep debut, they were a part of the US power metal scene along with contemporaries Helstar, Liege Lord, and Jag Panzer. As with others in that movement, they blended Judas Priest and Iron Maiden influences with amped-up speed. The debut went on to become a minor cult classic largely due to the “unusual” vocals of then frontman Bob Mitchell,1 but they missed the boat to greater success due to costly delays in releasing the follow-up platter. They were inactive through the 90s and didn’t drop another album until 2004s Soul Taker, and by then most of their original fanbase was long gone. Since then, however, they’ve refitted and released a series of hard-hitting platters full of trve/classic metal glory with 2013s Giants of Canaan and 2016’s Sins of the World being especially potent. After another momentum-killing layoff, Attacker return with seventh album The God Particle. Will this be the fateful release that finally sees Weehawken, New Jersey’s finest getting greater exposure?

I’ll say this for The God Particle: if it dropped in the 80s I would’ve eaten it up like beer-battered bacon. Thanks to the over-the-top efforts of NJ vocal legend Bobby “Leather Lungs” Lucas (Reverend, ex-Overlorde, ex-Seven Witches), the material sounds like a long-lost Helstar opus and that’s something Steel doesn’t take lightly. The album is a high-octane ode to 80s metal with 2 spiked fists in the air and a “Fuck you!” attitude that only a New Jersey band could deliver this forcefully. Opener “Knights of Terror” comes out swinging with crunchy riffs and in-your-face energy as Bobby rages and screams like a youthful James Rivera mixed with Ronny Munroe. It’s a propulsive construct sure to anger up the blood. “Curse of Creation” sounds like a collaboration between Nevermore and early days Metal Church with Bobby approaching David Wayne levels of vocal hysteria. Michael Benetatos and new slinger Jon Hasselbrink go wild with beefy riffs and wild flourishes and the energy is nigh irresistible. “River of Souls” is a straight-up sledgehammer aimed at your soft melon. It reads like a dialed-up version of trve metal, with churning riffs paving the road and Bobby L. screaming out the work orders like a manic supervisor. It’s not subtle or forward-thinking but it works.

“Kingdom of Fire” is the most Helstar-esque number, sounding like something off their timeless Nosferatu opus and I enjoy the relentlessly churning, urgent riffage teamed with Bobby’s larger-than-life vocals. There’s even some tasty Maiden-adjacent guitar noodling for extra nostalgia-spice. “World in Flames” is another restraint-free burner and I can see this one being wild in a live setting. There are no bad tracks, and though “Stigmatized” can be awkward at times, it’s a fun, bruising slice of adrenalized machismo. At a svelte 33 minutes, The God Particle is all muscle and connective tissue. The songs all slot in the 3-4 minute window ensuring none overstay their welcome. That said, most of the songs dwell in the “good but not quite very good” neighborhood. The album is a fun rampage through the past but unlikely to blow your mind and it likely won’t end up your Album o’ the Year. It’s meat and potatoes throwback metal with balls and a bad attitude and as such, it’s an entertaining spin.

Attacker may only have one original member left in drummer Mike Sabatini, but he’s done a fine job assembling a skilled cast of characters to help him keep the band going. Michael Benetatos and Jon Hasselbrink are very able six-stringers and bring all the heavy metal thunder to the music with a riff bonanza ripped from the 80s and 90s. There’s a healthy dose of classic sounds mixed with speed and they’re clearly having blast ripping it up. When you bring in Bobby Lucas to do vocals, you put a particular time stamp on the material. He’s an old-fashioned metal rager who goes all in, bouncing between Halfordisms, Dickinsonisms and screaming like a Jersey Devil who just stepped on a burning LEGO. He’s good at what he does, but he can overdo things and become grating. For the most part, though, he does a fine job and brings a cosmic shit-ton of energy to the compositions.

I grew up with Attacker (minus the times they abandoned me like some deadbeat dad) and I’ll always have a soft spot for them. When they’re around they make it easy to support them by continuing to churn out metal high in purity and low on frills and trends. The God Particle is another solid slab of 99.9% unadulterated NJ metal and it makes me wish these guys would get on a more reliable visitation schedule. Pairs well with cheap beer and medical waste.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Cruz Del Sur
Websites: attacker1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/attackerband | instagram.com/attackermetal
Releases Worldwide: April 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #Attacker #CruzDelSurMusic #HeavyMetal #Helstar #JagPanzer #LiegeLord #Review #Reviews

🔊 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #SeekAndDestroy

Liege Lord:
🎵 Master Control

#LiegeLord

https://liegelord.bandcamp.com/album/master-control

🎶 #Show #playlist 👇
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1uZ3GLf6lDtDqJSQrY0lMU

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