By John Bedard
Heavy metal as a genre is a cornerstone. For so many people heavy metal is where their journey started into all the different styles of metal we enjoy today. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, for example, are known to basically everyone and most people have a fond memory of a family member listening to the genre even if they themselves are not a fan. It is completely ingrained into our culture as a people at this point. Because of this, I think it is a very hard genre to break into. So, the question is, how do War Dogs do with their debut album?
First, let us talk about the music. Here they definitely capture heavy metal. You have the aggressive drums with that fast-double kick that we love. It almost has a little bit of a power metal influence to it. The guitar is a similar story the rhythm guitar has a nice heavy feel dead set in the heavy metal genre, once again with that almost power metal flair to it, while the lead guitar breaks off into some wonderful solos that are vital to a good memorable heavy metal album.
The vocals are also pretty good. I do feel that at times the lyrics felt a little more repetitive than necessary but that is not a huge deal. I do think that the vocal style is dead set in heavy metal. Gone is that earlier mentioned hint of power metal I was talking about. He never gets that high. I do think that there were times that he would get a little out of his range and not quite deliver the lyric to its full potential. There just was not quite the same energy that I was expecting. I think that maybe pulling the music back to a darker heavier sound might complement the vocal style a little better.
This is not an earth-shattering album. There are some really excellent aspects to it and some things that, while still good, leave a little to be desired. While I have enjoyed my time with this album, I don’t think I would have missed it too much had I missed out on it. One thing is that it is very consistent throughout the whole thing so if you like one track it is a good bet you will like the rest. It is worth giving it a chance but I think that unless you are just dying for a new heavy metal album this one could be safely missed or at best added to a playlist to fill it out but unfortunately, this won’t be the star. As a side note though, if you are one of those people who listens to music just for the guitar then I would say pick this up. The guitar work is wonderful.
- ‘Die By My Sword’ is released on 9 January. You can get your copy HERE.
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