Band:	Argus
Album:	Boldly Stride The Doomed
Style:	Doom metal, Heavy metal
Release date:	May 03, 2011
A review by:	Daniell

01. Abandoning The Gates Of Byzantium
02. A Curse On The World
03. Wolves Of Dusk
04. The Ladder
05. Durendal
06. 42-7-29
07. Boldly Stride The Doomed
08. Fading Silver Light
09. Pieces Of Your Smile
10. The Ruins Of Ouroboros

Is it only me, or do we get very little quality heavy metal recently? Sometimes I want to listen to an album that doesn't attack me with blast beats, lead-heavy riffs, shredding solos, throat-ripping vocals. I don't want it too fast, or too slow. I don't want to be crushed underneath the weight of production. Sometimes I miss the times when Iron Maiden released their best albums, when neither speed nor slowness, nor heaviness were the yardsticks of quality. It was only music that counted.

Argus gives me what I need. These guys seem to be taken straight out of somehwere between 1975 and 1983. When "A Curse on the World" kicks in, I feel like I'm listening to Iron Maiden's Killers. Similar riffing, tempo, overall atmosphere. The production, obviously, is much better, but the impression of being taken back in time is very strong. Pure heavy metal is what I call it. Fantastic melodies, great, clear and melodic solos, excellent vocals, a bit of pathos, but far from kitsch.

Of course, it would be nothing more that a copycat album if all numbers sounded like Iron Maiden. Fortunately, there's a lot of variety here. From fairly uptempo classic heavy metal of "A Curse on the World" and "Wolves of Dusk", through "42-7-29" which sounds like early Candlemass worship, and slightly doomy "Durendal", to pure epic doom of "The Ladder" and "Pieces of Your Smile", this album shines with variety, inventiveness and unadulterated enthusiasm. "Pieces of Your Smile" deserves a separate mention. Not only is it the longest track on Boldly Stride the Doomed, it's also an utterly brilliant song that overwhelms the listener with atmosphere, enchants him with beautiful melodies and captivates him with inspired guitar solos. 12 minutes pass like 12 seconds, and you will immediately want to re-listen to the song in order to hear all that greatness over and over again. I know I did, six times in a row.

So without further ado, I advise you, dear reader, to get this album and dive into its old-school coolness. If you're old enough, you might experience the best retro ride this year. If you're younger, you might just be able to understand the feelings that we, old codgers, had when the metal world was young, decades ago.