Description
After all, their releases thus far have sounded like direct descendents of 80s era metal – Mercyful FateKing Diamond, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Slayer, etc. And they’ve inched even closer to re-constructing the perfect 80s metallic beast with their 2007 release, Fire Up the Blades.’ Produced by Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, the album sounds like a conglomeration of all of the group’s aforementioned influences (with an extra added focus on Rob Halford-esque shrieking vocals, a la “The Sentinel” and “Painkiller”), as evidenced by such thrashers as “Night Marauders,” “Trial of Champions,” and “Demon’s Blade.” If you’re looking for a fair amount of variety and sonic experimentation, you’ve come to the wrong place — it’s a thrash-fest pretty much from start to finish. The only thing missing from Fire Up the Blades’ is a suitable undead mascot on the album cover, a la Eddie or Vic Rattlehead
