Well, I don’t know quite how I managed it, but having journeyed across the country with this CD, it managed to wave goodbye to its friends from Metal Heaven, and sneak back into my backpack clearly feeling a wee bit homesick. The easiest thing to do, so I decided, was to bite the bullet and review the album myself rather than risk slapping on a postage stamp and waving it off again, where it may end up lost, ripped apart or stolen by a metal postie or set alight by vandals. Okay, perhaps I’m being the teensiest bit melodramatic, but you get my point.
Metal Heaven aren’t the sort of label I tend to enthuse over, and I usually find myself breathing a sigh of relief the moment I manage to palm their albums off on a more appreciative scribe. However, after a couple of inattentive listens I began to think it could actually have been for the best that I wound up with it on my backlogged review pile. A fleeting visit to Wikipedia alerts me to the fact that this band have been around the block a few times, with this album seeing the return of original vocalist Rob Rock. Certainly, this has the classic heavy metal hallmarks stamped all over it, with old school guitar riffs that are simplistic and strong as steel, that merge with the pounding foray of drums. Title track ‘Wicked Maiden’ gets things off to a flying start, with its catchy chorus and meaty delivery that is complimented by the up-to date production on the album.
There is little here that is overtly challenging to the listener; it’s just a smooth and vastly enjoyable ride that occasionally bolts forth with speed, while other times cruising comfortably within the speed limit; the suspension handling any bumps in the road with ease. It’s energetic and packs a powerful punch; just what you’d want from this kind of album really. Tracks like ‘Garden Of Eden’ and ‘The Battle Rages On’ flare out with a powerhouse of guitars, bass and drums that make the melodies hugely headbangable. The style is a bit more modern on a couple of the tracks, namely ‘Last Of A Dying Breed,’ a lightning fast track with sharp, scything riffs that lyrically seems to be about the remaining true metal fans fighting for what they believe in.
Amidst the straightforward crunch, there are a handful of classical nuances that certainly add a nice bit of variety to the mix. ‘Weapons Of Mass Distortion’ has a particularly nice atmospheric twist with a chorus filled out with keyboard lines that really glimmer in the light, while ‘The Vision’ also has a cosmic slant. Naturally, you can expect some blazing solos throughout, and the occasional nod in the direction of Malmsteen on the aforementioned neo-classical-esque tracks. A mention has to go to the anthemic ‘High School Revolution’ which could easily be a Schools Out of the 00’s. I envisage a scene with rebellious teens piling out of the school gates burning books and tormenting pesky teacher types as they declare death to education. Why a bunch of forty-something’s feel the need to sing about something that hasn’t likely mattered to them for a good twenty odd years is beyond me, but as my inner school-kid might say, who cares?
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