Band:	Warrior Path
Album:	The Mad King
Style:	Heavy metal, Power metal
Release date:	March 2021

01. It Has Begun
02. The Mad King
03. His Wrath Will Fall
04. Beast Of Hate
05. Don't Fear The Unknown
06. Savage Tribe
07. Avenger
08. Out From The Shadows
09. Neverending Fight
10. Last Tale

Bombastic, cheesy, and energetic. What more could you possibly want?

The second album from Warrior Path brings us some traditional power metal glory, amped up with some great extra touches. But what exactly can you expect from this new record?

Well, it only takes about thirty seconds before this album shows its true colours and these colours are bright and rich. After the initial thirty seconds of acoustic guitar, the album kicks off with some heavy-hitting riffs. I alluded earlier that this album is bombastic. A big contributor to that is The Mad King's big-sounding production. Roaring riffs from the guitars, deep bass to thicken the sound and loud, omnipresent drums; it's all here and it sounds absolutely magnificent. A stellar job.

If we take a look at the performances from the band members, I can easily praise them as much as the production. There are some really fun and catchy melodies all throughout The Mad King. On top of that it also has a good driving energy to it. Compare it to something like what people would call a "driver's road", a beautifully smooth road in the mountains with some enjoyable twists and turns in it. The drums are like the thundering sound of a roaring V8. But what kicks this album onto the next gear are the vocals that are absolutely sublime! Daniel Heiman (ex- Lost Horizon) gives a performance that has clarity, power and energy. One of the best aspects of this album, if you ask me.

Lyrics-wise, this is nothing too fancy. You know what you can expect from a typical power metal album, there's some obvious cheese in them, and The Mad King is no exception, but not to the point that it goes completely over the top like on, for example, Viribus Unitis or Space Ninjas From Hell). Which I personally find a bit of a shame because I usually prefer those bonkers lyrics over the classic (not so) cheesy stuff. I suppose you could say that I would have liked to see a little bit more madness in an album called The Mad King. All in all, they're nothing special; those lyrics don't really detract from the experience, nor do they really add much.

What is noteworthy though, is the overall pacing and flow. This record succeeds at giving a listening experience that flies by pretty quickly. It keeps the attention of the listener with its compelling melodies and vocals, and the energy is consistently there.

Overall, I find this an easy album to recommend. It's a fun ride, especially if you are a fan of power metal. It does what you expect from a record in this particular genre (song structure and lyrics-wise). However, the vocals, melodies, and production elevate The Mad King above many bands in the genre. So yeah, definitely check this one out if you get the chance. It's very good.