VISIGOTH
'Final Spell'
(Self-released)
Just look at that
cover, if that doesn't instill you with confidence from the outset
then you're a lost fucking cause. Visigoth are a relatively
new band hailing from the heavy metal wasteland of Utah, and coming
at a period when it appears the latest traditional metal revival
trend is slowly winding down, are an absolute breath of fresh air to
these ears. Fair enough, as far as finding originality goes,
especially in the traditional metal scene these days is about as
fruitful as pissing up a rope but when it's performed as well as
this, who the fuck needs originality? 'Final Spell'
is the band's second release after their decent enough demo
'Vengeance' from 2010,
and where it was set firmly in barefaced doom laden Omen
territory, 'Final Spell' has
all the characteristics and glint of a band who have finally 'found'
their sound, where much bigger and better things inevitably await.
So
they have abandoned the epic, pounding US style for more traditional
style of flat out heavy metal with a strong aroma of Euro power
metal, much like countrymen Twisted
Tower Dire, in fact so
much so 'Final Spell' is
what their last album could have sounded like without the scourge of
Johnny Aune. At times the similarities are uncanny and especially on
“Call of the Road” which bears a striking semblance to 'Make
it Dark', sound a bit more than
coincidental, still I guess there are worse bands you could sound
like. Jake's vocals are what really bring these tracks to life
though, and imagine my surprise when I discovered this was the same
voice behind the Agalloch
worship act Gallowbraid.
The tenacity and conviction with which he tears through the vocal
melodies present on 'Final Spell'
is astounding.
“Creature of Desire”, an anthem to metal's favorite two wheeled warrior machine has all the echoes of early Hammerfall and Priest with its sublime vocal harmonies, rolling riffs and spiraling guitar leads making the only place you want to be is hitting the highway with wind in your hair and metal coursing through your veins. The title track raises the bar even higher with it's criss crossing Maiden-esque shred and high tempo drumming, and when Jake nails that final scream you can't help but feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, even Halford himself would be proud. I cannot stress enough how strong the vocals are here, the polished production really does them justice. I'd liken them to Rain Irving from While Heaven Wept if I had to chose anyone. “Seven Golden Ships” has a imposing crunch to the riffing in it, the guitars noticeably heavier but no less effective [And how cool is to have that old Running Wild vibe in a song with such fitting name? - ED] Closer “Call of the Road” is more of a straight forward infectious 'rocker' for want of a better word, lively rhythms, blazing guitar leads and stratosphere piercing vocals, which as previously stated sound suspiciously like a couple of tracks from Twisted Tower Dire's last effort.
I've
said it before and I'll say it again, no matter what genre of metal
you tend to favour, there is nothing greater than pure unadulterated
adrenaline pumping heavy metal performed the way the masters intended
it, and this is exactly the way they envisioned it. Jake delivers his
vocal lines like a man possessed and the performances on the guitars
are nothing short of spectacular. Simply put if leather clad,
fist-clenching and testosterone fueled metal borne from the smell of
burnt tarmac and rubber is your thing then go buy this, if it isn't
then go fucking buy it anyway and be converted. Bring on a full
length, I'm getting withdrawal symptoms already, this shit is like
musical crack.
(Chris
Cowgill)
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