Hailing from Seattle, heavy metal newcomers Greyhawk start Ride Out in classic old-school style, featuring a hairy barbarian roaring away on a motorcycle and a first track beginning with a falsetto howl from vocalist Rev Taylor. This is the first album from this band, and their enthusiasm for their old-fashioned metal sound brings unexpected power to this EP. Modern worshippers at the altar of the Elder Metal Gods exist, for sure -- witness Visigoth, Haunt, and Magister Templi to name just three -- but to listen to Ride Out, you'd think heavy metal had just been invented and the band was in a hurry to be the first to explore the new sound.

There's nothing surprising about the structure of the songs -- they're all classic heavy metal songs in the vein of 70s and 80s greats. Mid-tempo, two-guitar speed-metal, epic swinging beats, and plodding headbangers all make an appearance. But Taylor's baritone voice, which is featured in the Seattle Opera, proves to be one of the band's best assets; this guy can belt out a lyric and have a listener start headbanging in a heartbeat. The guitar work is also surprisingly good even by the standards of a guitar-driven genre; the lead shredding reminds you why so many old heavy metal bands put guitars with lightning blasting out of them on their album covers. And there's a foot-stomping rhythm to all of these songs, especially on Wisdom of the Wizard, that begs for singing along.

Greyhawk knocks it out of the park with this debut. If they can carry the energy of Ride Out forward into future albums, I foresee great things ahead.

Bandcamp: https://greyhawkmetal.bandcamp.com/releases.