Maule – Maule (Gates of Hell)
What you see is certainly what you get when it comes to Maule‘s self-titled debut. The Vancouver quartet secures themselves in the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal style, echoing the twin guitars, clanky bass, and street aesthetic of groups like White Wizzard, Traveler, and Pounder. The playing is tight, the pacing is energetic, and one can even detect hints of heavier influence with the vocals’ more thrash-leaning demeanor.
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a standout anthem or lasting catchiness that would make the rather stock approach easier for me to overlook. There are signs of promise on ‘Red Sonja’ and ‘The Sword Woman,’ but they don’t have quite the gumption to fully see them through. There are plenty of bands old and new with fresher takes on Traditional Metal and I’ll hope that Maule is able to develop into something stronger.
6 / 10
Eliminator – Ancient Light (Dissonance Productions)
As with 2018’s Last Horizon, Eliminator’s second full-length album is another slab of Heavy/Power Metal powered by high octane guitar work and wailing vocals. Ancient Light ups the ante by putting even more emphasis on speed compared to its predecessor. The band’s penchant for harmonies ala Wytch Hazel and Lunar Shadow remains their strongest asset and pairs nicely with more relentless double bass patterns and furious gallops a la Riot City and Striker.
While this approach admittedly makes for some soundalike songs, there are plenty of solid tracks to work with. ‘Silent Stone’ pairs a bass-heavy rhythm with a riff that’s like a Dio Sabbath song on the tip of my tongue while ‘Mercy’ and ‘Foreverless’ mix their upbeat templates with some extra dynamics. ‘The Nightmare Of Aeon’ is the most dramatic outlier, ending the album with a flurry of mid-tempo bombast. Things might’ve come out stronger with a slightly revamped track order, but the album is still worth checking out for those who like their Trad Metal epic and speedy.
7 / 10
Ashes of Ares – Emperors and Fools (Rock of Angels)
For some reason, I’ve never been quite able to get into Ashes of Ares. I’ve always respected Matt Barlow’s talents and his voice has held up exceedingly well with some solid musicians backing him up, but the songwriting always seems lacking without many riffs or hooks to give substance to the performances. Fortunately, their third album, Emperors And Fools, attempts to stand out from its predecessors by means of a more noticeably theatrical scope.
‘A City In Decay’ kicks things off with a dramatic symphonic prelude and the closing ‘Monster’s Lament’ is an eleven-minute epic closer that even features a cameo from Ripper Owens for a surprisingly effective duet. Elsewhere, ‘I Am Vengeance’ and ‘The Iron Throne’ sound more energized and the introspection on ‘Gone’ works a little better than usual. I doubt this album will convert any previously unconvinced listeners, but it just might be Ashes of Ares’ most effective release so far.
7 / 10
Planeswalker – Tales Of Magic (Self-Released)
Having established a solid working relationship on the second Helion Prime album, guitarist Jason Ashcraft and vocalist Sozos Michael explore their collaboration further with Planewalker‘s full-length debut. Tales Of Magic is right in line with Ashcraft’s signature brand of melodic Power Metal, albeit with a more symphonic edge than usual, and the Magic: The Gathering lyrical themes give it some extra nerd culture appeal.
While the songwriting isn’t the most straightforward, often opting for more elaborate structures, the musicianship is well-suited for the style. The guitars are well supported by orchestral layers and the guest vocalists featured on ‘Shadow Of Emeria’ and ‘Oath Of The Gatewatch’ flesh out the narrative alongside Michael quite nicely. I can also get into the heavier swells on ‘The Forever Serpent’ and the closing cover of KISS‘s ‘A Million To One’ is worthy of interest; it’s always neat to see their non-makeup era get some love.
7 / 10
CHRIS LATTA