Kaine – The Waystone
Kaine – The Waystone
MRG Music LTD
Release Date: 01/08/2014
Running Time: 63:44
Review by Dawn King
8/10
Not being the biggest fan of New Wave of British Heavy Metal, to be given an album by a band who’s own website states they “combine Traditional/NWOBHM with Thrash/Speed metal” I was a little bit apprehensive, but I was more than pleasantly surprised.
“The Waystone”, the second album from East Anglian metallers Kaine, brings together NWOBHM influences from bands such as Iron Maiden and Saxon with the thrash elements of metal that I so love, to produce a fresh take on an older genre.
Opening with “Iron Lady”, even the title of the track seemingly paying homage to one of their obvious influences, the album seems to be a tribute to the bands of yesteryear, but if this is the case, then Kaine have totally nailed it. If any band can capture the sound of the metal greats that are Iron Maiden, Saxon and Judas Priest, then they are half way there.
“Iron Lady”, to be fair, does sound a lot like an Iron Maiden song, but it’s a great opener to a great album. This sound, however, does not carry through all nine tacks, and the second track “The New Wave” reminded me very much of my days as a huge Rage Against The Machine fan. “Dreams to Nightmares” starts with a drum rumble so familiar that one could be forgiven that “Painkiller” was about to start and track number eight “Wanderer” takes us straight back to the 80’s again.
As soon as this album started I knew it was going to be great, my favourite track changing with each new song I heard. However, the two tracks that stood out for me are “Resistance”, which carries on with the early Maiden sound and has a really catchy chorus that will have you humming for the rest of the day, and “This Soul Exchange”. Judged by some as being too lengthy at around eight minutes, it doesn’t, to me, have the feel of being that long. Starting slow, it builds up in speed and intensity before slowing back down again, and I would class it as the epic song of the album.
Being able to switch from sounding like Iron Maiden on one song to a slowed down version of Death Angel on another is a talent not many bands could pull off and, because of this, to some, the songs don’t appear to fit together but, personally, I think this adds to the greatness of the album. I like to be surprised when listening to a new cd, not bored by the monotony of every song sounding the same, and “The Waystone” certainly did that. Take a great big pot, throw in some traditional heavy metal, a handful of NWOBHM, and a bit of thrash, add a pinch of prog, mix thoroughly and you will come up with this fantastic album.
I really enjoyed “The Waystone”, having had it playing in my car for six days straight and I hope to see and hear a lot more of Kaine in the coming years. They are a hard-working band, full of talent, who have played over ninety shows, supporting the likes of Praying Mantis, Striker and Absolva, and they definitely deserve to be bigger than what they are.
So grab yourself a copy of the album and get yourself to a Kaine gig! They will almost certainly be a part of the future of heavy metal \m/
TRACKLISTING:
1. Iron Lady
2. The New Wave
3. Dreams to Nightmares
4. Solidarity
5. Resistance
6. Entropy (Unrelenting Chaos)
7. This Soul Exchange
8. Wanderer
9. The Waystone
LINE-UP:
Rage Sadler – Rhythm and lead guitars, vocals
Dan Mailer – Bass, vocals and keyboards
Anthony Mirch – Lead and rhythm guitars
Chris Mackinnon – Drums
Saxon Davis – Led and rhythm guitars
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn ‘The Metal Priestess’ King and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.