I will always be drawn to traditional heavy metal, when it is done in a genuine and passionate manner, thankfully this being a grand example of ecstatic and bold music that will grasp any listeners by the jugular and keep them awe-stricken throughout. Melody, flare and a marvellous performance all round makes this record infectious to the point it takes you back to metal’s glory days while it not relying on sheer nostalgia, delivering song after song of truly impeccable music. Couple that with a sound that strips flesh from bone and you get some truly excellent heavy metal. These nuances and progressions all fit in the framework of a release like this but ensure it is exciting throughout and when those blistering leads or maniacal vocals jump out from behind the veil of some eerie riff or rocky bass line, it feels all the more powerful.
Now one might be fooled into thinking that their songs might be really similar to one another, but there is a surprisingly heavy influence on mood which goes from a brooding crawl, bordering more on the Cirith Ungol touch of doom, to those triumphantly over-the-top choruses of pure metal magic. Additionally the artwork makes it look like a lost NWOBHM gem of the 80s, which can never be a bad thing right?
The production is the next key element, which captures the energetic performance of the band absolutely perfectly, harnessing their classic and yet non-derivative sound which may borrow this from Chastain and that from Warlock or Stormwitch, but Tower have their own sound and it totally rules. So musically, everything is on track to be a relentless heavy metal record. The piercing vocals chill you to the bone as they deliver verses of haunting power atop a mountainous array of biting drums and crushing guitar and bass, topped with some wicked shreds. Triumphant drumming and metallic riffs waste no time in delivering a staunch opening hit alongside one hell of a howl from the vocalist, this is one of those records you instantly know is going to slay.
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