One of the worst kept secrets in power metal is that “The Tribune”, the Roman frontman of gimmicky cosplayers Warkings, is none other than Serenity vocalist Georg Neuhauser. Slightly more elusive than the distinctive vocal cords of Neuhauser, the identities of his role playing bandmates would now appear to be that of German outfit, Souldrinker, with drummer Steffen Theurer playing “The Spartan”, bassist Christian Rodens as “The Viking”, and guitarist Markus Pohl in the role of “The Crusader”.

For Revolution (Napalm Records), their third full length release, Warkings adhere strictly to their familiar blueprint of fancy costumes, big choruses and one word album titles beginning with ‘R’. ‘We Are the Fire’ opens proceedings, a blazing inferno of uptempo power metal that covers all the usual bases of fighting, hammers, flames, thunder and gods.

The mid-paced and unsurprisingly Middle Eastern infused ‘Sparta – Part II’ features a simple but crowd-pleasing “This is Sparta!” gang vocal chorus while the anthemic ‘Fight’ finds the band seemingly desperate to rival Manowar with a gloriously excessive lyrical use of its titular instruction. With it’s “Die for Spartacus!” chorus and aided by the harsh, throaty vocals of “The Lost Lord” (aka singer/producer Chris Harms), single ‘Spartacus’ is another bonafide fist-pounder destined for the “Repeat” function.

The dynamic ‘Kill for the King’ is followed by the dramatic stomp of ‘Deus lo vult’. Translated as “God wills it”, the choral backing and huge melody makes this one of the album’s standout moments. The powerhouse of ‘Ave Roma’ boasts a classic ’80s metal riff while ‘Ragnar’ acts as a more sombre call to arms. ‘By the Blade’ keeps up the momentum before the album closes with dark power ballad ‘Where Dreams Die’, another tremendous cut with a soaring chorus from Neuhauser.

Forget the gimmick and just lose yourself in ancient times, singing along to stupidly catchy choruses at neighbour-annoying levels. While it’s fair to say that Revolution might not change the face of music as we know it, what it does is provide bags of chest-pounding cheesy Metal entertainment.

Buy the album here: https://smarturl.it/Warkings-Revolution

7 / 10

GARY ALCOCK