Band:	Switchblade (ISR)
Album:	Heavy Weapons
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	November 29, 2013
A review by:	R Lewis

01. Heavy Weapons
02. Euphoria
03. Metalista
04. Lost Lovers Unite
05. The Lost Kingdom
06. Infernal Paradise
07. Curse Of The Father, Sins Of The Son
08. Into The Unknown
09. Endless War



Hey you. You, with your dusty old jeans and jacket jam-packed with Judas Priest and Iron Maiden patches hidden in the wardrobe. You, that try unsuccessfully to convert your sons to the golden era of Accept. You, that praised Dio as your only God. You, that back in the days your music was better (no matter what it was compared to - it was better). You, that lived your wild youth in the 80's. This is for you.

Switchblade (ISR), though being only at their debut, already happen to be the leaders of the New Wave Of Israelite Heavy Metal - "how smart of you!" you could think: and you'd be right, these guys being the only band in Israel playing this kind of music, true to their words.

Heavy Weapons is full of the "reassuring memory of happy times", not of nostalgia; the latter being the feeling of sadness for something that is lost forever and that which idealizes the past mainly due to an unbearable present context, while the former is helpful for an optimistic view of the future.

But let's abandon psychology to introduce the actual music. Heavy Weapons draws a huge inspiration from early Iron Maiden, in all of its aspects: the typical song writing, the conception of the use of instruments and also the singer, Lior Stein, who could be easily confused with the one and only Bruce Dickinson, at a wool-gathering listen. The raw and wittingly coarse riffing and the reliably heavy drumming don't fail in catching the auditor's attention, while a concrete and positive energy explodes from every single note played, a sign of an enthusiasm this genre hasn't seen in years.

This strength, this passion, brings to the fact that the whole album doesn't concede to any rest, and while proudly displaying some gems, Heavy Weapons lacks the usual fillers - which won't be mourned. Also the semi-ballad "Lost Lovers Unite", though slowing down the rhythm of the album, doesn't betray its main purpose: kicking major ass.

Obviously, don't expect The Number Of The Beast or Metal Heart, since Heavy Weapons is nowhere near the memorability of the genre classics. But being a debut, and us being now in the XXI century, it's one hell of an album.

Switchblade (ISR) play beer music: they do it fast, fun, loud, heavy. And with passion.