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Roughly three years have passed since the release of their brilliant sophomore effort Songs For the Lost. Icarus Witch's second, and best effort to date, shook the metal universe, and stated strictly that one could still produce kick-ass old-school heavy metal without being mocked for being supposedly closeminded and without the balls to experiment and trying to create something new. With Draw Down the Moon, the skilled americans keep the middle finger posted very visible in the view of the haters, and while not quite as good as the great predecessor, the boys have produced another slab of solid heavy metal that will go as one of the more memorable releases of the year. Handful of killer riffs, great song-writing, inspiring vocals and simple yet sparkling rhythm-work is thrown at you from the very start of Black Candles, and while some songs do not scream killer, this is undoubtedly a very deliberately and precisely forged album. I remember when I first put this on a couple of weeks ago, I was instantly slightly disappointed and put it away for some time. However, when I sat down to get the review done this week, the rocking riffs of opener Black Candles jumped straight at me with gritty intensity, catchy breaks, and very melodic vocal lines in familiar fashion. It's still the highly enjoyable Maiden/Sabbath mixture with a hint of spicy Slough Feg to it. Often galloping riffs, ripping guitar-solos, and soaring vocals that'll shred your face off. Unlike Songs For the Lost there are a few dips in quality like the boring and quite sludgy Reap What You Sow and the slightly lackluster cover of Judas Priest's The Ripper. More songs in the vein of the great hook-fest Dying Eyes, the epic title-track and the slower more melancholic Funeral Wine, which by the way are some of the greatest material the band ever wrote, should do the trick. The other reason I dock these guys a couple of points is simply the length of the album. 35 minutes just doesn't cut it, and two-three more of the top notch tunes these guys can easily churn out wouldn't harm anyone, and maybe turn a few more heads... ... Cause let's face it, even though they created a lot of buzz with their debut EP and their first full-length, they've been buried farther underground during the last couple of years which is a damn shame, seeing as this is hands down one of the best lesser known heavy metal bands out there right now. Even though this is a little lackluster, it contains some amazing heavy metal tunes that'll kick ass and take names, and the selfish among us will easily clench Draw Down the Moon to their chest, thinking about how nearly no-one else will hear it. In other words, another gem, go get. |
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Killing Songs : Black Candles, Dying Eyes, Draw Down the Moon, Funeral Wine |
Thomas quoted 83 / 100 | ||||||
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