BLAZON RITE - Wild Rites and Ancient Songs
Gates of Hell Records
Pennsylvania has always been a breeding ground for really good true sounding metal bands. I'm talking about acts who push the epic sounds with one foot in the classic 80's era and the other in the 2000's. BLAZON RITE, a five piece act who hail from Philadelphia, have made a name for themselves in the past few years for following in that vein.
This is the band's second album. Their debut Endless Halls of Golden Totem, which came out in 2021, garnered the band much praise from underground US power metal/traditional metal fans. Then again so did their self released debut four song EP, Dulce Bellum Inexpertis, from 2020. So will this one be a sophmore jinx or a continuing improvement.
Well given that listening to the opener "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom" and the CD cover art depicting a cold Winter scene. I felt March was the wrong month to listen to this one. But my overall answer to the question made is yes BLAZON RITE have progressed in a great way. Musically this album is like GATES OF SLUMBER meet IRON MAIDEN at an online fantasy adventure game conference with MANOWAR in the upper wings whispering "I think I heard em say steel".
You've got seven songs in the traditional metal realm. The riffs/song structures are very MAIDEN-equse. The guitar lead work by Pierson Roe is damm good. And of course I like the vocals by Johnny Halladay. He has this clean baritone vocal style which is a kick back to so many cool sounding singers from the past. Hey people you don't all have to be screamers.
The more I listen to this album the more I think it's kinda amazing. The production is pitch perfect in that it reminds you of the past. Plus the songs carry you along as if this were a concept album or a great saga as opposed to a patch work of cuts. BLAZON RITE has earned the right to be heralded as modern day fighters for true fuckin metal.
http://www.gatesofhellrecords.com/
LISTEN HERE:
https://blazonrite.bandcamp.com/album/wild-rites-and-ancient-songs-2
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