Tag Archives: Manowar

Attack Of The Crone – Jill Janus of Huntress

Posted on by

Huntress-BandSmall

In between recording and hitting the road in support of Amon Amarth, Huntress frontwoman Jill Janus took time out to speak to Ghost Cult about life in Huntress and to tease a few details about their upcoming third album.

 

Life in a professional metal band isn’t like the glory days of old and long gone are the days when Manowar travelled in luxury with an additional bus in tow purely for their groupies. Two albums in on a respected metal label, Napalm Records, and with a flurry of press coverage for the pair, one would expect something more glamorous than a mini-bus to be Huntress’ touring companion.  But this tour with Amon Amarth is about sacrifices to achieve a vision. “I wanted to tour with Amon Amarth. I wrote it down on a piece of paper and willed it to be true. And here we are. I’m a big believer in visualization” confirms focal-point, Jill Janus.

It’s easy to see why all roads lead to Jill. Not only the voice and face of the band, it is from her that the lyrical themes and imagery flow, too. But to what extent is Huntress a one person show?

“It’s Blake (Meahl – lead guitar) and I who are really the driving force behind Huntress and we’ve been fortunate enough to have several musicians come on this journey with us but sometimes touring is too hard, and that’s really the main reason we’ve had to replace a couple of band members along the way.

“We’re not making any money doing this, and some of these guys have wives or girlfriends or rent to pay, so unless you’re willing to put all your shit in a van, or in storage, it’s going to burn.

“I’ve really had to abandon all other ambitions and only live for Huntress” confirms the focused singer “and it’s not easy to do. Right now my main focus is self-control. It’s not easy to stay sane doing what I do and the pace at which I do it, and a lot of my focus now is ‘Keep your shit together, Jill, and don’t lose it’, and that’s it daily. Every day when I wake up, it’s focus, don’t lose it.”

 

Making it happen in a professional metal band isn’t all banging out some riffs and seeing what happens… “One side of it is to really maintain your self-control. The other is don’t believe your own hype. The minute you believe you’re a rock star, you’re an asshole. I stay very focused. I am cogniscent of the things that are going on around me, I can hear the buzz, I can hear hype, I won’t believe it because I’m very focused on my purpose.

“I don’t ever look online. It is toxic. It’s deadly. I never read anything online about Huntress. The only thing I  interact with are my fans, and that’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and those are focused, limited moments. It’s come down to a science. I do not allow myself to read anything online, it’s methodical, and I do not allow any trolls to know my goals. I always say “Keep your goals away from trolls”, and that’s something I live by.

I’ve seen every part of this journey and it’s all come to fruition. Every single bit of Huntress, every moment, every plan has all been visualized and not only by myself but my band mates as well. If you dream it, you can be it. You’re looking at me here, because it was in my head at first. And that goes along with a lot of the imagery, the “occult” aspect as well. As I said, I’m a big believer in visualisation.”

 

One thing Jill may not have visualized was the panning and critical kicking their second album, Starbound Beast received in many quarters. Regaining credibility can be a difficult thing – it takes years to build a reputation, but only minutes to destroy it.

“We’re always going to stay true to the roots of heavy metal, and we’re always going to stay authentic to who we are, but we’re evolving and that’s a very organic process. What you’ll hear in the production is that it’s going to be a bit more modernized, which I’ve been pushing for and the boys are going to keep it true to the roots of heavy metal and keep the NWOBHM in there. Stylistically my vocals have a little hat-tip to the great Rob Halford and it’s going to be true Huntress through and through.

“The third record will have some of those doom elements, too (that were present on the second album), because it’s The Crone and it’s Death season. There’s dying, and doomy, but there’ll be some surprises on there and it’s going to be a touch catchier as well.”

Jill has mentioned previously that the first three albums are linked, thematically, in terms of following a female life from youth to maturity.

“The second record was more cosmic, the first more occult based, more witchcraft, and now we’re heading into the cycle for the third album, Album three is done, it just needs to be mixed when we get back and then we’re ready to rock. Two more things to do on it and then we’re ready. I call the first three albums our trilogy. The Maiden was Spell Eater, The Mother was Starbound Beast and here comes The Crone. The title is yet to be announced, but the record will be out sometime this summer and we’re moving into the realm of The Crone. The Crone is going to be ruling this phase of the trilogy. She’s horny and she’s an old bitch! She’s a lot of fun.”

 

Huntress on Facebook 

 

Words by STEVE TOVEY


Visigoth – The Revenant King

Posted on by

Visigoth-TheRevenantKing

Salt Lake, Utah, is currently drowning in a weight of fan mail – or it would be, if such a thing existed these days. As it is, the various devices of a collective of young metal heads are pinging with platitudes, praise and sites and zines falling over themselves to pay tribute to the greatest thing since ale was quaffed for the first time.

For here is a band, Visigoth, who are revisiting a template established over 30 years ago – a template forged in the fires of “proper” Metal. And on their debut release, The Revenant King (Metal Blade), they doth verily show both their might and wares in a display of muscular, chunky traditional metal. Embracing a rich heritage, their roots of American Classic Metal shine through in the touches of Dio, ‘83-‘85 era Manowar and Manilla Road in their sound. Indeed, halfway through we are greeted with a cover of ‘Necropolis’ from the Road’s seminal Crystal Logic, (Black Dragon/Iron Glory), but this is not a one-trick elephant, as ‘Mammoth Rider’ brings a doomy, epic Candlemass crush before riffing off into Iced Earth territory.

There is a tendency at times for critics and punters alike to fawn more over the concept, ideology and premise of a band, or to be honest entire sub-genres – mix some brooding passages with some sludgy riffs and screams and your band is guaranteed some serious beard-stroking – rather than paying attention to whether what the band is actually delivering merits such a response. Playing traditional metal shorn of the normally pre-requisite Power Metal trappings and singing of armour and days of “yore” also garners similar stroking, though this time not of a beard of hipster origin, and some of the acclaim and commendation of Visigoth is over the top. Yet this is a furrow much ploughed over the past three decades (except for that bit in the 90’s when no one would touch classic metal, even with someone else’s bargepole) and this fledgling quintet have turned in a very respectable effort that shows reverence to the revenant spirits of metal of a bygone age without being derivative, which is no mean feat.

If there are criticisms, while they manage with professionalism the weightiness of penning a series of epic songs (with the exception of ‘Necropolis’ all our adventures weigh in over the five minute mark) some including several sections, at times this does go on a bit. Elsewhere, Jake Rogers vocals, while entirely appropriate, lack a touch of character or distinctiveness, but sharpening and maintaining their weapons is something fledgling warriors learn over time. Visigoth certainly have the weapons and steeds to be successful riding into what promises to be a long and successful campaign. The first skirmish has been won, but great war-leaders make their name by being victorious in a series of battles. Visigoth’s name and reputation is growing, though, and with time many may ride at their side to ultimate victory, glory and fame.

 

7.0 / 10

Visigoth on Facebook

 

STEVE TOVEY


Primordial – Where Greater Men Have Fallen

Posted on by

Inlaysheet.eps

 

The toms stir, an introductory galloping battering, a rhythmic tribal call to arms, as the simple lead guitar line rides up and down the front of the horde, rousing, preparing, hinting at what is to come, as the opening track of Where Greater Men Have Fallen (Metal Blade) builds to kick into a timeless opening, an initiation where all the trademarks of the very best of Primordial are evident. Our title track erupts  with ‘Hammerheart’ (Bathory) meets ‘Blood Of My Enemies’ (Manowar), driving, open, churning chords and Alan ‘Nemtheanga’ Averill’s distinctive, powerful vocals, preaching, imploring and then leading a stirring chorus to what is, unconditionally, one of the anthems of the year.

After a gap of three and a half years since the Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand this is a mighty return, with the weight of expectation not just shrugged off, but decimated by the pounding Pagan Metal delivered by the hands of the best in the business. For, at their peak, Primordial have no peers in the field of the epic.

Emote is what Primordial do best, and this is an album that drips with feelings of regret, reflection and, conversely, inspiration; Averill’s intelligent themes, authoritative words and voice enhance the profound interplay of Ciáran MacUiliam and Michael Ó Floinn’s guitars, whose interaction on tracks like ‘Come The Flood’ call to mind Anathema’s grandiose The Silent Enigma (Peaceville). ‘Born To Night’ gradually unfurls to reveal a ‘Battle Hymn’ most proud, while ‘The Seed of Tyrants’ releases the rage, nodding to a more extreme past, both musically and lyrically. While Primordial are oft mislabelled as a Black Metal band, ‘…Tyrants’ serves as a reminder from whence they came, but, as ever with those touches of class the band possess to enhance, colour and immerse.

Yet, this is not a flawless album, as with blood both stirred and pumping by our introduction, ‘Babel’s Tower’ and ‘The Alchemist’s Head’ are downers; decent if unspectacular down-shifts of pace, which, while still intrinsically “Primordial”, call to mind the unhurried moments of Imrama (Cacophonous), and despite Averill’s impassioned story-telling, neither grab or evoke like the opening track, or the crushingly pessimistic ‘Ghosts of the Charnel House’. That can be the problem when you start that strongly, as it is a high watermark for the rest of an album to live up to.

After establishing their sound on second album A Journey’s End (Misanthropy), it has been since their fifth album, The Gathering Wilderness (Metal Blade), that the band have truly matured and hit an exceptional run of form that takes them into Where Greater Men Have Fallen, their eighth full length, and its moving combination of classic Bathory inspired metal, doomier tropes and an unmistakable grasp of the epic, all draped in those characteristic Primordial effects.

Yet, are Primordial victims of their own success? The previous three albums are of such a high standard, and are pregnant with anthems that, like the title track or the exceptional closer ‘Wield Lightning To Split The Sun’ – murky, bleak, earnest, wringing with remorse and possibly the best piece of music the band has delivered over the course of their career – means that when Primordial deliver “good” it can, initially appear disappointing.

Bookended by two incredible tracks is a layered, powerful and impassioned album, resplendent with mood changes, from reflective, to angry, to moving – the leads that pull ‘Born To Night’ to its close soulfully uplifting – and to judge by the merits of others Where Greater Men Have Fallen stands tall. Yet measured by their own imperious canon, this latest release, while showcasing everything that is respected and esteemed of Primordial, is not first among equals.

Primordial are too proficient an outfit to release anything other than an excellent album. Just how excellent, when compared to their own standards, is the question at hand, but Where Greater Men Have Fallen is laden with dark anthems and fervent sincerity and, chest out, stands proudly as a laudable addition to a most impressive catalogue.

 

8.5/10

Primordial on Facebook

 

STEVE TOVEY


Amaranthe – Massive Addictive

Posted on by

Massive Addictive Cover-1

 

I have two.

Guilty pleasures, that is. What else did you think I meant? Penises? Yes, I generally pull the “I don’t have guilty pleasures, I’m proud of everything I like” (both ironically and non-ironically) bullshit we all do. But I do have two. Amaranthe and Five Finger Death Punch are two bands I feel a bit embarrassed about admitting to liking. And I like Manowar. A lot. Unashamedly.

I’ll still profess a liking for the pair, but it does make me feel a bit squidgy in the stomach to do so.

Massive Addictive is the third explosion (all Spinefarm) from the Swedish Pop Metallers arsenal, and within 10 seconds of opener ‘Dynamite’ we’ve had a trademark dose of electro-synth and a chugging beatdown. By the chorus all elements of their trademark Cascada (yep) meets Within Temptation meets post-Reroute In Flames are out in the open and it’s clear that Amaranthe are running with the sound and style that was so successful on their previous releases. ‘Drop Dead Cynical’ bounces in and we’re off into Dance Metal territory with its euphoric chorus.

The basic premise of an Amaranthe song revolves around their clean male vocalist (Jake E.) trading off with their harsh male vocalist (Henrik Englund) to build up to Euro-Pop chorus delivered by Elize Ryd, or variations of the theme, and Massive Addictive adopts the “if it ain’t broke…” approach. What at first seemed a silly idea actually suits the infectious band.

And it is infectious, and all good fun, but there is no “Oops!” as, unlike Britney, Amaranthe didn’t do it again because Massive Addictive seems to be missing something that its predecessors brought to the table. Maybe it’s the novelty wearing off, maybe it’s that the metalcore has been toned down and there are fewer “colours” as the songs settle into a repeating mid-paced head-nod tempo with regularity, maybe it’s that once you’ve told a story – no matter how great a story, and let’s face it they weren’t orating the Ilyad the first two times around – it becomes less fascinating with each repetition, but the most pressing “maybe” belongs to the fact that the songs aren’t quite as good this time around. There’s no instant classic, like ‘Automatic’ was on the self-titled debut, or the “If Aqua did Metal…” ‘Electroheart’ from The Nexus, though ‘Digital World’ does its best.

Still, all said and done there’s no one out there quite like Amaranthe. I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or not…

 

6.5/10

Amaranthe on Facebook

 

STEVE TOVEY


DragonForce – Neonfly: Live at Colchester Arts Centre, UK

Posted on by

dragonforce-uk-tour-flyer

 

More bands should take the same “back to basics” approach that DragonForce are applying to the UK leg of the Maximum Overload world tour. Rather than taking in the usual 5 shows in the same 5 major cities, this time around the sextet are taking in  20 smaller venues in 20 towns that don’t get to see many non-local bands.

And the people of Colchester, saved the £30 fare and hour journey to London to take in a show, have responded enthusiastically. The Arts Centre, a converted church that is actually a rather fine venue, is absolutely rammed, and the opening band aren’t even on.

Neonfly, a badly named band who thus far have flown under the radar, take to the stage and are greeted enthusiastically and respond as if they’ve just strolled out as a festival headliner. And it’s lapped up as they run through a selection of AOR influenced widdly Power Metal that veers between Sonata Arctica and UFO. They have all the poses (including some classic Priest choreography), all the solos and in Willy Norton, all the voice with his excellent Michael Kiske meets Tony Martin delivery, and a stage patter that’s part children’s entertainer and part Danny Bowes on happy pills. It’s 1988 again, and no one is complaining as single ‘Gift To Remember’ is met by a healthy number of hands in the air to its rocking riff and massive chorus. While closer ‘Morning Star’ may be a slightly disappointing end to a very enjoyable set, no damage is done as Neonfly have made a lot of new friends tonight, as songs aired from their upcoming new album Strangers In Paradise (Inner Wound) touch on Avantasia. And they have a guitarist called Fred Thunder.

DragonForce have quite the mixed live reputation, but since the arrival of vocalist Marc Hudson they seem to be a different beast these days. Hudson’s first album with the band, The Power Within (Essential/Roadrunner) was their best since debut Valley Of The Damned (Noise/Sanctuary) and the strength and reputation of their live show has grown since his arrival. Heading out on the road with a new album, Maximum Overload (earMUSIC), that picks up where Power… left off, could they continue the upward live curve?

Absolutely. In spades. From the rapid fire power metal, to the guitar duelling of Sam Totman and Hermann Li, who both make the fastest and most complex of guitar techniques seem effortless, to bassist Frédéric Leclercq’s facial comedy show and underpinning rumble and Hudson’s near flawless vocal performance, the ‘Force are on it.

Everything about DragonForce on this tour elicits grins and a feeling of joy, and it’s clear this comes from the stage, aided by Totman’s understated self-deprecation and ongoing banter with Leclercq, the two of them mocking Li, each other, the lyrics (the sword motions in ‘Black Winter Night’ were childishly brilliant), the crowd and themselves throughout while still delivering. It’s great to see. Li, on the other hand, is pulling every Guitar-God shape, including pick-sliding with his tongue, while in between Hudson, the bastard love-child of Chris Jericho and Sebastian Bach, has learnt the master of ceremonies role, padding and filling well in the longer than usual gaps between songs caused by technical issues to Vadim Pruzhanov’s keytar.

Highlights are hard to choose, but a mid-set ‘Seasons’ goes down a storm, a thrashy ‘The Game’ opens up a pit, and ‘Three Hammers’ is a colossal slice of One Direction meets ManOweeN, before all too soon it’s time for the bands best song, ‘Cry Thunder’ which concludes the set proper to rapturous cheers.

Immediate a holler rises for an encore, and the band oblige, camping through their dreadful version of ‘Ring of Fire’, before a vibrant ‘Through The Fire And Flames’ (I’m sure some guy near me was actual air Guitar Hero-ing) and a triumphant ‘Valley Of The Damned’ wrap things up to send a happy crowd spilling out, talking nearly as quickly as the flurrying fingers of Totman and Li about how much they enjoyed the show.

This is what a Power Metal gig should be about, a packed crowd singing along to hymns of cheese and metal with a band turning in a great performance, all creating a symbiotic exuberance. Simply great fun.

And I was sober…

 

DragonForce Set list

Defenders

Fury Of The Storm

Three Hammers

Black Winter Night

Seasons

Tomorrow’s Kings

Symphony Of The Night

The Game

Heroes Of Our Time

Cry Thunder

 

Ring Of Fire

Through The Fire And The Flames

Valley Of The Damned

 

DragonForce on Facebook

STEVE TOVEY


Huntress – Battlecross – Purest of Pain: Live at 013 Tilburg, NL

Posted on by

huntress and battlecross 013 poster

 

Huntress and Battlecross joined forces early this summer for a tour, and we were lucky enough to catch up with them in the 013 venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

10406568_680790365321393_2028078309987873735_n

The opener of the evening was the local band Purest of Pain, and started with a promising intro. Guitars unwind and state what kind of band Purest of Pain actually is: a no nonsense, modern death metal band that actually slaps you in the face every time a note strikes and reaches your ears. The vocals of this band are strong, it is like the vocalist pushes its emotions trough your skin and bones and throws its dynamic screams all around the place. It is still quite calm in the venue while Purest of Pain is playing, but as the end of the show is near the venue is quite filled to see Battlecross to play.

 

Battlecross02

 

At first I wasn’t too familiar with Battlecross, but according to the name I thought that this was some kind of power-metal band. But soon I came to realize that I was completely wrong. Battlecross is a band, a band like Devildriver always tried to be, but always failed at. They succeed in this concept of thrash and power grooves, bringing you music that is accessible and commercial, but without coming across as a commercial band. I personally hope they will keep this vibe. Super tight, with strong songs that get you by the throat, Battlecross is a nuclear explosion full of energy. Catchy vocals exchange with constant aggressive screams, and this brings a diversity, and every song starts off like a steamroller. The first pit of the evening is to be written with the name of Battlecross. Although they bring nothing really new to the genre, but still they know how to bring you a good, refreshing sound.

 

huntress04

 

Do you know the musical Wicked? Well, during the intro music for Huntress I was afraid I landed in a performance of Wicked. But their vocalist Jill Janus came on the stage dressed as a wicked witch; crawling, lurking in the audience and then opened her throat and let out a supersonic scream. It was immediately clear that this is a very strong vocalist. Other that I thought before, “oh this is that kind of band with a fucking hot chick in it”. I think 9 of the 10 times I would be right, but this is the first time that I wasn’t. Huntress is a very entertaining  and tight band, and Jill is a hell of a frontwoman! Jeez! I enjoyed every minute of it. The music sometimes is a bit simple, but sometimes we get some nice gems from the musicians on stage. In the meantime, Jill was crawling over the stage doing some songs, while I watched the audience mainly consisting of men in their mid-life crisis, which totally gave me the giggles. If you don’t quite know Huntress, they are as theatrical as Ghost B.C., with a little hint of Manowar. They play simple, occult themed, straight to the point metal. They are a good band, but not a magnificent band with sick riffery and huge guitar solo’s etc. However, they are solid, enjoyable, and fun to watch. And for that, we thank you.

 

 

[slideshow_deploy id=’7390′]

 

Huntress Set List: 

Senicide

Destroy Your Life

Spell Eater

Starbound Beast

Zenith

Children

I Want to Fuck You to Death

Eight of Swords

 

Huntress on Facebook

Battlecross on Facebook

Purest of Pain on Facebook

 

WORDS BY KAAT VAN DOREMALEN

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS


Sabaton – Heroes

Posted on by

1907950_10152367032674868_2003634077071329162_n

Over the top (in both senses of the term) and once more into the breach, Sabaton unleash their seventh war-themed opus Heroes (Nuclear Blast), another slab of bombastic power metal.

After the unbridled success of 2012’s Carolus Rex, Sabaton find themselves in a new position, feeling the pressure of following up a massive album, not only their career-best but a genuine genre-classic, and with an all new lineup; only band leaders vocalist Joachim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström remain. When faced with following up truly great albums, many bands choose to tinker with their approach (think Slayer on South Of Heaven). Sabaton have puffed up their chests and roared “More of the same!”

Fans of the Swedish machine will not be disappointed. Choosing to focus on different heroes of war scenarios, each song has its own tale to tell. ‘Soldier of 3 Armies’, a standout, pounding, pacy track tells of Lauri Törni, soldier of the Finnish army, the SS and the US army; ‘No Bullets Fly’ recounts the Charlie Brown/Franz Stigler incident to a soundtrack that kicks off with a classic Judas Priest riff before strafing into a huge chorus enhanced by Peter Tägtgren’sslick, dynamic production; ‘Resist And Bite’ calls to mind AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ while celebrating Belgian resistance to overwhelming odds; ‘The Ballad Of Bull’ is epic and choral, reminiscent of Manowar’s ‘Crown And The Ring’, honouring Leslie “Bull” Allen who single-handedly saved 12 wounded comrades; ‘To Hell And Back’, with a distracting and odd Wild-Western whistle, fetes Audie Murphy; while ‘Inmate 4859’ is a fitting epic in the vein of ‘The Caroleans Prayer’, paying tribute to Witold Pilecki, who volunteered to be imprisoned at Auschwitz as part of an undercover mission.

Such stories are fittingly backed by the trademark Sabaton sound; powerful, everything louder than everything else with lashings of Ride-of-The-Valkryian drama, all topped by Brodén’s distinctive gruff melodies. While Heroes doesn’t quite live up Carolus Rex or The Art Of War, it is still definitely and defiantly Sabaton and will delight those who have already joined the army.

8/10

 

Sabaton on Facebook

 

STEVE TOVEY

 


Manowar – Kings of Metal MMXIV

Posted on by

KOM_MMXIV_CD_cover_FINAL_600pix

There are no two ways about it, Manowar were responsible for some of the best pure Heavy Metal albums ever released. Take away the posturing and the loincloths (actually, keep the loincloths on… ) and this was a band whose first six albums (and number seven is pretty mighty, too) stand more than the test of time, but take their place at the head of the great hall of Metal Valhalla.

And the original Kings of Metal is the sound of an army of immortals at their peak, raging on ‘Wheels of Fire’, anthemic on the title-track, majestic on ‘Heart of Steel’, epic on ‘Blood of the Kings’, and all of the above on ‘Hail And Kill’. It’s certainly up there with their best, and the best that power/trad/classic (choose your poison of genre-tag) has ever offered. The original Kings of Metal scores a mighty Ten Thor’s Hammers!

Kings of Metal MMXIV (Magic Circle), however, is the Greedo shooting first, of albums.

In every aspect, this comes up the weaker. The tracklisting pointlessly changed; the titles of the songs pointlessly changed; the production is WORSE than the 26 year old version (in every way – the guitar tone is flat and lifeless, the lead tone is annoying, the bass farts, the drums sound like biscuit tins, the volume is severely lacking and the keyboards sound like “My Casio Choir” has parped inexcusably in places); Brian Blessed turns ‘The Warriors Prayer’ into a farce; Karl Logan had yet to show himself worthy of following in Ross The Boss’ footprints and embarrasses himself further still – his re-workings of solos are pitiful; there’s a pointless extra verse listing all of Eastern Europe shoehorned into ‘Blood of the Kings’ AND DOESN’T EVEN FIT! There are about 73 versions of ‘Heart of Steel’ out there, an epic battle-weary emotive track that stirs the heart and spirits, yet here reduced to a lumpen, unevocative and pointless phone-in. Meanwhile, while the 1988 version of the bass solo showcased Joey De Maio’s technical ability, the 2014 take (with the click track inexcusably left in!) just shows how far up his own arse he’s crawled.

The only person to emerge from this fetid disgrace of a re-release with any semblance of credibility is Eric Adams, criminally overlooked and worthy of being feted in the same breath as and seen on a par with Dickinson, Dio and Halford, but even the great Adams has had more triumphant and better days (oh yes, the 1988 version).

Do yourselves every favour, and buy the original of this album. Despite what you think you may think of Manowar it is pure metal gold. This re-recording, on the other hand, is a money-grabbing, tired, in and un credible attempt to paper over the cracks of a creative force that is long since spent. Manowar are now the path-crowders, and should be ejected from their own hall.

3/10

Manowar on Facebook

Steve ‘Manowarrior’ Tovey

 


Grand Magus – Triumph and Power

Posted on by

1000x1000MMXIII was a year with a dearth of proper Heavy Metal releases. Death and post-metal dominated, but a horns in the air, involuntary neck-moving, fist-pumping classic metal was nary to be found. The year turns and Grand Magus remind us all what we’ve been missing. Triumph And Power (Nuclear Blast) is as metal as they come.

It’s worth saying this may not be Grand Magus best album, that honour still belongs to Iron Will, but that is more testament to the high-quality outputs of a band that are criminally still the bridesmaid despite some excellent albums in their canon than any fault of this offering.

Pre-Turbo Judas Priest, Manowar (Ross The Boss-era) and Sabbath (all eras) are the predominant influences in an album and when your main sources of (Triumph and) Power are Vikings and classic metal it’s pretty difficult not to rule the waves, the land or the wind. ‘On Hooves Of Gold’ evokes the Valkyrie-epic of Manowar’s ‘Blood of My Enemies’, ‘Steel Versus Steel’ and ‘Fight’ stir the blood, simple galloping riffs over a driving drum beat and choruses that are crying to Asgaard to be belted out live after a few ales.

There is no let-up either, as the title-track a Battle Hymn of the highest order, swaggers in over a thunderous bass line ripped out by Fox, the guitars stab in before we’re swept into a rousing call-to-arms chorus that segues into a true metal solo via a Holy Diver middle eight. Exhausted yet? This is then followed by the Priest worshipping ‘Dominator’, a song that will bang the head that doesn’t bang. JB Christofferson owns this album, distinctive strong and gruffly velvet over the doomier ‘Holmgang’, dominant and rousing on the air-guitar inducing ‘The Naked And The Dead’, owner of a great chorus before things are brought to a fitting close by the epic ‘The Hammer Will Bite’, a summation of all that has gone before.

Triumph And Power is a statement of vibrant classic metal intent, hosting a series of anthems strong and pure that if Viking justice be done will propel its’ creators to lead the great battle in the sky.

8.5/10

Grand Magus on Facebook

Steve Tovey