rising

15419380_973599226073587_1426458234_o-1024x1023

Satan’s Empire – Rising
3M’s Music
Release Date: 25/05/2018
Running Time: 52:07
Review by Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King
9/10

So, here I am again, with yet another NWOBHM album to review. Not bad for someone who is not really a fan of the genre, eh? But, that’s the beauty of reviewing. There is always something to review that is out of your comfort zone.

So, Satan’s Empire? Hmmmm, a band originally founded in Dundee, Scotland during the NWOBHM years of the late 70’s / early 80’s, there is surprisingly little information about them on the internet. They were most known for their song “Soldiers of War” which featured on the “Leadweight” compilation album for Neat Records and this gained them an almost mythical status.

After a thirty-year hiatus, they reformed in 2015 with the original London line up, consisting of Paul Lewis on guitar, Wayne Hudson on bass, Derek Lyon on vocals, Sandy McRitchie also on guitar and Magpie (Gary Bowler) on drums, releasing their first EP in 2017, and this, their first full-length album, released on 15th June 2018.

Over thirty years is a long time to wait for a band’s debut album so was it worth the wait?

I would say a resounding YES!

This is not just a NWOBHM album, it is a stonking modern day heavy metal album. Each track stands out by itself and there really are no fillers. Some could consider it a bit cliched with track names like “Slaves of Satan”, “Shout it Out (Hail!)” and “Dragon Slayer” but this in no way takes away from the musicianship and talent that has gone into producing this album.

The biggest compliment I think I can give this album is that it reminded me very much of a Saxon album, and a good Saxon album at that. I don’t know whether they have drawn influence from the Barnsley band or whether this was a total coincidence, but, in my opinion, it worked very well.

Satan’s Empire are a band that perform regularly at venues near me (always on a bloody Sunday when I can never make it I might add though!) but I was lucky enough to see them at The Roundhouse in Dagenham when they supported Alan Davey’s Ace of Spades and that was when I realised they are actually a really good band. They were excellent in a live setting and the energy and enthusiasm they had on that stage has transferred effortlessly to the cd.

I, for one, hope to see them many more times live, and I also hope they continue to make the music they are doing now and make many more great albums.

You never know I might actually become a NWOBHM fan because of it 😊

TRACKLISTING:
01. Slaves of Satan
02. Shout it Out (Hail)
03. Satan’s Empire
04. Soldiers of War
05. Dragon Slayer
06. Come Back
07. On the Road to Hell
08. Lucifer
09. Politician
10. Suicide Man

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.

Evyltyde – Rising
Self-released
Release Date: 27/03/2017
Running time: 44:26
Review By Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King
9/10

Evyltyde are a London based band formed in October 2013 by Danny Merton, guitarist, and Hannah Delany, vocalist, and Rising is their second album released on 27th March 2017.

Since their conception, this female fronted band have performed extensively throughout the UK and have supported rock legend Graham Bonnet and were tour support for Accept/Bonfire/Bangalor Choir vocalist David Reece’s new band RPG. They state their influences as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Dio, Black Sabbath and Pantera, and these influences are clear from the onset.

Evyltyde are, as stated on their Facebook page, “one of London’s fastest rising metal acts combining powerful, melodic vocals with hard-hitting, edgy guitar riffs that create a unique and distinctive melding of numerous metal genres, from thrash to gothic” and I cannot think of a better way to describe them.

This ten track album is very mature and structured and its lyrical content emphasises some of the problems of modern day society and culture. With song titles such as “What You Believe”, “Medicated Generation” and “Edge of the World”, with the haunting line “when will we ever learn”, the album deals with a lot of ethical, political and personal themes.

The first track on the album is “Monster.” Depicting the fight between good and evil, its melodic chorus and great guitar solo, backed with heavy riffs, make this one of my favourite on the album. “I wish you could see, the monster isn’t me”, the final concluding line of the chorus would resonate with a lot of people. It certainly did with me.

“No Violet” is probably the heaviest track on the album and my second favourite. I love the way Hannah’s voice gets that robotic edge to it and the line “I don’t want to be a Cinderella” could actually be my mantra because life is, and will never be, a fairytale.

While I am on the subject of Hannah’s voice, this lady must be congratulated on a superb performance. Her voice is clear and crisp and compliments well with the powerful guitars. Always a fan of female fronted bands, I have, nonetheless, struggled with some of the extremes. Hannah’s voice, however, falls right in the middle. Powerful enough to compete with the pounding guitars, yet feminine enough to pull off ballads such as “Forever.” There is, also, a great mix with the gruffer male vocals that appear on some of the tracks.

Those of you who know me, will already know I am a huge fan of galloping riffs, those proper, meaty guitar riffs that echo through your belly, riffs how they should be! And I am pleased to say that this album has them in plenitude, one of the reasons I fell in love with it.

These guys are obviously all talented musicians and they work well together. Their sound is tight, there are fantastic guitar solos throughout and the rhythm section is strong and solid. It’s hard to believe that they have only been playing together for a few years, but they each bring their own talent and they complement each other very well.

Credit has to be given also to the songwriting skills and the production of this album and a self release it should not be.

I very much look forward to what this great band has to offer in the future and I sincerely hope they continue to produce material as good as this. As a result I will check out their first album and I also hope to catch them at a gig sometime soon.

The album is called “Rising” and that’s exactly what these guys are doing in the metal world!

TRACKLISTING:
1. Monster
2. Eye For An Eye
3. Dark Within
4. Medicated Generation
5. Forever
6. No Violet
7. Edge Of The World
8. What You Believe
9. Tomorrow May Not Come
10. Hand Of Fate

LINE-UP:
Danny Merton – Guitars
Hannah Delany – Vocals
Noah Scott – Bass
Phillip Tetlow – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn ‘The Metal Priestess’ King and Metal Gods. 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.

Reproduced here with kind permission from Metal Gods TV.

Evyltyde Album Review: “Rising”