Here Waits Thy Doom is the newest album from Canada’s 3 Inches of Blood. Most of the lineup from 2007’s Fire Up the Blades returns for this record with the exception of drummer Alexei Rodriguez, who is replaced admirably by Ash Pearson, and harsh vocalist Jamie Hooper, who was the last original member of the band (although Cam Pipes, the band’s falsetto-master, has been on every recording the band has produced thus far.) For the fans of the band, these changes will be pretty noticeable in the music, as the songs are now mostly mid-paced rather than fast, and Cam almost single-handedly does vocal duties on the album. Some harsh vocals are performed by guitarist Justin Hagberg, but they are comparatively sparse and uninspired.

Other than the changes mentioned above, 3 Inches of Blood pretty much stick to their tried-and-true formula of old-school power metal attack coupled with the most ridiculous vocal performance this side of King Diamond. Basically, imagine the song Painkiller if it were a band, and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. Sometimes this formula provides excellent fun, such as opener Battles and Brotherhood, which puts Manowar to shame and ends with a 20 second riff that will make even the most doubtful listener lose his shit and headbang. That’s right—I just cursed and dropped names like a mofo—because this band’s relatively primitive music reminds me that first and foremost, the point of metal is to inspire something inside its audience—even if that something is just silly fun. However, often, this same formula and carelessness gets a bit abrasive, like Preacher’s Daughter, which could have benefited from a bluesier mid-range vocal performance. Towards the end of the album, the songs tend to blend together, despite a standout solo in the ridiculously-titled At the Foot of the Great Glacier.

While listening to the album in my car, my friend remarked that if Tenacious D were to release an album of all metal songs, it would be pretty comparable to this, and I think that is both a good and a bad thing. 3 Inches of Blood do indeed sing about the most cliché and cheesy metal topics imaginable, and much like the D, they admit that this is, in part, a tribute to the metal gods of yore. However, while Jack Black’s charisma somehow manages to remain funny and inspired (in my opinion, of course), Cam’s lyrics often sound forced—lead single Call of the Hammer being an example of laziness on his part—and the riffs too reminiscent of Manowar or Judas Priest. Additionally, while Tenacious D are very clearly a parody duo, there seems to be no such indication for this band. And if they take this kind of stuff seriously, well then….I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions about that.

Since the band don’t actually break any new ground musically, and this album isn’t at all different from their previous output, I can’t in good conscience give it a very high score. On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoy songs like Battles and Brotherhood, Rock in Hell, and Snake Fighter, and recommend them for anyone looking to have a little fun while listening to some good old-fashioned metal.