Elegant Weapons – Horns For Halos
Elegant Weapons – Horns For Halos
Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 26/05/2023
Running Time:
Review by Beth Jones
10/10
Supergroups aren’t usually my thing. To me, they can be lazy, and a bit of a cheese fest, relying less on the quality of the music, but rather on the names within them for popularity. But, and I will say this straight off the bat, Elegant Weapons are none of those things. Comprised of Rainbow singer Ronnie Romero, Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, Uriah Heep bassist Dave Rimmer, and Accept drummer Christopher Williams, Elegant Weapons’ debut album is a rip-roaring celebration of all things Heavy Metal.
The scary thing is this album very nearly passed me by. As those nearest to me know, my life recently has been somewhat chaotic, and rather morbid, so writing has been on the back burner. But I caught the album title track on Planet Rock, at about 8.30am, on the way back from the school run, and I can tell you for free that it is this year’s perfect driving anthem! It’s sleazy as hell, with downright dirty downtuned guitars, that make you pull the ‘GRRRR’ face in acknowledgement of beautifully filthy riffage! It was cranked loud in my little car, and by the second chorus I was singing along at the top of my voice. This was the inspiration I needed to start writing again.
Album opener, ‘Dead Man Walking’, instantly marks out the band’s intentions, with a beautiful melodic guitar tone opening passage, that descends into classic Heavy Metal chugs, with sumptuous guitar noodling, pacey rhythms, and luscious vocal harmonies. Everything you could wish for in a classic Heavy Metal song in this banger.
The album continues in this way, with track after track of chunky Classic Heavy Metal songs that have all the ingredients of a perfect album. There’s rhythm changes aplenty, exuberant solos, clever riffs and chord sequences, and always a catchy hook and chorus. Romero’s vocal tone is full of grit, which is exactly what the music needs, but he has stunning vocal ability, and never loses any power, regardless of the dynamics or register of the song. Everything is balanced, and the production is superb.
The one track on the album that takes it down a little is ‘Ghost Of You’. This is more of a Blues Rock ballad, complete with schmaltzy guitar with a ruck of tremolo chucked at it. It’s a great track, with a stripped back performance that allows you to soak up every detail of each musician’s performance. Riche Faulkner’s guitar work is stunning in this one, with a hint of classical influences in the soloing, and those vocals of Romero again are just divine. Love it, love it, love it!
My favourite track on the album is ‘Blind Leading The Blind’. An absolute banger of a track, it has ‘stadium crowd pleaser’ written all over it.
This album was exactly what I needed right now. It got me excited instantly, and kept my attention to the last note. And it’s one that I’m going to be playing over and over again for a long time. Heavy Metal done properly is the most satisfying thing, and these veterans of the trade have created a masterpiece. Bravo.
‘Horns For A Halo’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Dead Man Walking
02. Do Or Die
03. Blind Leading The Blind
04. Ghost Of You
05. Bitter Pill
06. Lights Out
07. Horns For A Halo
08. Dirty Pig
09. White Horse
10. Downfall Rising
LINE-UP:
Ronnie Romero – Vocals
Richie Faulkner – Guitar
Dave Rimmer – Bass
Christopher Williams – Drums
LINKS:
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