The Best Heavy / Traditional Metal Album - Metal Storm Awards 2023
Pay no mind to the fact that there's no scantly clad, muscular, sword-wielding warrior on the cover art;
Gatekeeper's brand of US power-infused heavy metal is about as epic and triumphant as the nerdiest of fantasy-inspired metal. It's more melodic and airy rather than full of voluminous force, hence why it's sitting more comfortably in heavy metal rather than in power metal, so don't expect
that kind of power in the soaring vocals. But soaring and most importantly dramatic the vocals are nonetheless. And rarely do epic heavy metal albums offer this much power in their slower paces sections the way
From Western Shores does.
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Not even the biggest fan of
Heavy Load must have expected the triumph that is
Riders Of The Ancient Storm. The songs are unique, while still being classic heavy metal, with influences originating predominantly from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The solos and lead guitar parts are full of soul and passion. The choruses and vocal lines ooze melody and demand to be sung along to. The orchestral parts give such an enormous boost, whether they are used for epicness, like on “Walhalla Warriors”, dramatic effect, like on “Raven Is Calling”, or plain catchiness, like on “Ride The Night”. Its analogue and transparent sound is a treat for vinyl lovers and those who appreciate ‘real’ music. It’s hard to believe that this masterpiece comes forty whole years after
Heavy Load’s previous studio album,
Stronger Than Evil. What a comeback!
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If you love old-school, riff-centered heavy/doom metal
à la Pentagram and
Candlemass, and if your heart yearns for grand tales of adventure, it's about time you gave
Lord Mountain a listen. Their debut album provides mellow yet catchy riffs that meander along patiently, while the impassioned lead singer—with his deliciously sweet yet eerie voice—offers a prevailing sombre atmosphere. Listening to these soothing tunes, one feels transported into the cover artwork: drifting slowly down a river, the chilling winds whistling past towering icebergs, as a foreboding mountain looms ahead.
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Obviously it is illegal to pick a name this cool for your band and not follow it up with something sufficiently heavy and gobsmacking, doubly so if you’re then going to release an album called
Might & Power. From the school of
Cirith Ungol,
Grand Magus,
DoomSword, and
Manilla Road comes
Megaton Sword, a band of five Swiss heroes with appropriately epic epithets and a chest full of staggering riffs. Swinging this improbably powerful nuke-blade is Uzzy Unchained, a man who sounds like what would happen if Ozzy and Tim Baker swapped dentures.
Might & Power does actually have goals other than sheer barbarian strength - there are some softer, more melodic songs that go for a retro hard rock cool - but so much of this is back-to-back giant-killers.
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If you were told that
Ritual Fire was formed by four young guys from Detroit at the beginning of 2023, would you believe it when hearing
Lost In A Nightmare? It's true though which is quite mindblowing considering that in just 8 months, they wrote, recorded, and released one of the best traditional heavy metal albums of the year. What we get is an album full of delicious galloping guitar riffs and drum beats, excellent solos and infectious, easy-to-learn choruses just meant to sing along to. When it comes to influences,
Iron Maiden is the most obvious one and there's a ballad that easily could have been made by
Ozzy Osbourne back in the '80s.
Lost In A Nightmare is an album that just gets better with every listen and when you think you've found your favourite song another one comes along and grabs your attention instead.
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Shadows from Chile introduced themselves in 2021 with the EP
Into The Nightmare, and the songs featured on it are also included in this debut album, along with some new ones.
Out For Blood has a haunting quality, with shadowy synths enhancing the atmosphere and providing extra volume, depth, and darkness. There are driving rhythms, compelling riffs, and a whole lot of tasty lead guitar work. If you find
Ghost to be too poppy, or if you’ve never been able to enjoy
King Diamond due to the King’s vocal style, this gloomy, cinematic, and thrilling piece of music is for you.
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With their second full-length album,
Smoulder offer a treat for any traditional metal fan;
Violent Creed Of Vengeance is heavy metal, doom metal, speed metal, and power metal, all played with passion and precision, and with the ‘epic’ element cranked up to 11. The album has a speedy, pulverising track next to every epic, brooding one, and it all culminates with “Spellforger” and “Dragonslayer’s Doom”, which are two of the best songs
Smoulder have ever written. And, if you are still not convinced, it has superb cover art by the one and only Michael Whelan and features a surprise guest appearance by fantasy writer Michael Moorcock on the song “Victims Of Fate”.
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The UK-based heavy metal group
Tailgunner have unleashed their full-length debut,
Guns For Hire, and anyone who considers themselves a true fan of traditional heavy metal would be committing a crime to themselves in missing out on this experience. From track to track, and beginning to end, this exhilarating debut offers nothing but the highest quality of NWOTHM, from fist-pumping, arena-pleasing choruses that will surely be ringing in your head for a long time after, to breathtaking solos, great galloping riffs, and a wonderful, energetic old-school vibe.
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Like the meeting point between
Portrait and
Unto Others,
The Night Eternal cross some wires in their embrace of both old-school evil metal a la NWOBHM and classic goth rock;
Fatale lands them
almost in a revival of first-wave black metal with its theatrical pallor and spectral reverb. The post-punk vibes are just a bit too strong to draw much comparison to the endless parade of trad metal disciples, though; Ricardo Baum’s vocals are wild and haggard, forceful and resonant, as expressive as the vocalists from your favorite poetically depressing rock bands of the ‘80s, and the guitars are more fascinated by their ability to create hollow echoes than face-slapping riffs. If you were planning to spend tonight looking wistfully at the dead leaves blowing around your local cemetery, this is the album you’ll want accompanying you.
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If you are wondering how heavy metal can sound interesting in this day and age, check out
Wings Of Steel. Laced with melodic U.S. power metal and even some bluesy hard rock,
Gates Of Twilight is a heavy metal album made by a guitar god and an unbelievably gifted vocalist. This is an album that could easily have been released around 1986, and it would have been treated as a classic today. Still, it sounds amazing in the present with its modern production, and it is one of these very few releases where you can throw a dart and choose any track as a sample and you won’t be anything less than dazzled.
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