Midnight Spell: Sky Destroyer
Blimey, these new wave of traditional heavy metal releases just keep coming, don't they? And this week is no exception as Miami torchbearers, Midnight Spell, unleash their debut record, Sky Destroyer. Believe it or not, this leather-clad quintet only formed three years ago. Yet listening to Sky Destroyer, you'd think they'd been writing music together for decades. Despite the adolescent themes that run deep in this particular sub-genre, Sky Destroyer sounds remarkably mature and well developed compared to its bullish counterparts. Why? Because Midnight Spell excels at devising complex and theatrical arrangements, allowing a track like 'Mercy' to stand boldly - chest puffed out - alongside Iron Maiden's 'Transylvania' as a sterling heavy metal instrumental, with little room for complaint from the old guard.
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| Midnight Spell: More fresh-faced than their peers but equally badass! |
Furthermore, melody - as opposed to sheer speed - drives this record, and it's expressed beautifully via Paulo Velazquez's exuberant vocals alongside the impeccable twin-lead synergy of Denver Cooper and Shane Graham. While this gives Midnight Spell a more clean-shaven aesthetic than their rugged peers, Sky Destroyer still packs the kind of sleazy, swaggering riffing that made bands like Guns N' Roses so feared by suburbian housewives in the eighties. Hence it sounds just at home blasted from a boombox in a greasy motorcycle garage as it does on your dad's car stereo as he commutes to his white-collar job, all the while reminiscing on the glory days of heavy metal. Headbang 'til death!
For fans of Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Saxon
Frozen Soul: Crypt of Ice
Since the weather is taking an Arctic turn, what else is there to do but hunker down in our Covid bunkers and spin some glacial old school death metal? Nothing - that's what. Thankfully, Frozen Soul is here to exhale an icy breath of fresh air into the churning, down-tuned brand of death metal pioneered by Obituary in the late eighties with their debut record, Crypt of Ice. You might be wondering, what makes this album discernable from all the other Bolt Thrower copycats out there today? And I can answer your question in two words: Chad Green. This frontman has an incredible ability to contort his punchy growls and interlock with the dense double riff pummeling of Michael Munday and Chris Bonner. The result: big hooks. Particularly on tracks like Wraith of Death and Gravedigger, which is seriously impressive considering we're dealing with a subgenre pre-occupied with evoking horrific imagery rather than writing catchy ditties!
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| Frozen Soul: As old school as they come! |
What makes Crypt of Ice so irresistible, however, is its ever-shifting tempos. Every track is heading towards a Texan hardcore-inspired beatdown, taking us through several groovy tempo changes - typically by route of some classic Obituary floor tom thuds - before clubbing us over the head like the frostbitten, neanderthal it is. The speed play can start to lose its potency during the latter half of the record, but I can guarantee the upper portion of your body will still be in motion for the majority of its forty-minute duration! Frozen Soul is poised to take the underground death metal scene by (snow) storm with their hulking twist on the traditional death metal sound. Bring on the big freeze!
For fans of Obituary, Bolt Thrower, Power Trip
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