Charred Walls of the Damned

Posted on Mar 3rd, 2010 in Music

Vitals:

Name: Charred Walls of the Damned

Album: Charred Walls of the Damned

Release Date:02/02/2010

Label: Metal Blade Records

Genre(s): Power Metal / Heavy Metal / Thrash

Producer: Jason Suecof

Lineage

Iced Earth / Judas Priest / Testament / Death / Yngwie Malmsteen

Good

If you’re into sixteenth note driven power metal from highly capable musicians, this is for you.The lineup on this album is stellar:

  • Tim “Ripper” Owens – vocals (Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen)
  • Jason Suecof  – guitar (Producer/Mixer of Devildriver, Chimaira, God Forbid, Trivium, etc)
  • Steve DiGiorgio – bass (Death, Iced Earth, Testament, Sebastian Bach)
  • Richard Christy – drums (Death, Iced Earth)

Bad

Not nearly enough Steve DiGiorgio in the mix! I feel quite deprived…he’s probably the best metal bass player in the industry.

Opinion

Anthemic and charged, this is the stuff of legends. A collaboration of this magnitude should demand a more disciplined review, but really, it’s going to be damn near impossible to leave my bias at the door. To hell with it! You know what? Unless you’re legally deaf in both ears or Josh Groban is part of your regular rotation, or just an asshole, this album will rapidly consume you. By the end of the album I just want to equip a longsword and march into battle, just like after hearing Manowar.

“Ghost Town” melts your face off with blast beats right out of the gate. Ripper belts out a vocal melody over the madness that is sure to squeeze out a grin. Shreddy guitar lick follows. This track truly is complete, right down to the wide open, catchy chorus.

“From the Abyss” Ugh. This song is awesome! So many layers and changing rhythmic themes. Simple but effective. Brilliant song.

“Blood on Wood” Most prevalent and noticeable showcase of DiGiorgio’s skills. The fretless bass “ascending while descending”  sixteenth note intro riff is sick. The droning eighth note vocal phrasing in the second half of the chorus is strange but fascinatingly refreshing! I also love the 6/8 time signature thrown in for giggles right before the arpeggiated sweep pick intro of the guitar solo. Brilliant complexities.

“Voices Within Walls” Intro sounds like something out of Megadeth‘s (think Marty Friedman) playbook and even some Alex Skolnick via Testament. Kudos!

“Fear In the Sky” Starting at the 2:10 mark… do you hear what I hear? Can you say Ozzy-esque? Awesome!

Honestly, this may very well by my album of the year for 2010 so far. There are so many intricate little details on every track. If I had to explain the songwriting, it’d go something like this: Rhythm: Meshuggah “tightness” without odd time signatures or drop-tuned 8-string guitars. Vocals: Wide-vibrato of Ian Gillan (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar circa 1970) range/style of Ronnie James Dio/ Russell Allen/ Jorne Lande (stretching it on the last two). Guitars: Alex Skolnick (Testament meets Ted Aguilar (Death Angel) meets Chris Broderick (Megadeth).

Seriously, if you enjoy good metal, be it thrash, power, or classic heavy metal, this is a MUST own.

Rating

(4.5/5)

Replay Value: Very High

Recommend? Yes

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