As much as I love power metal, I have a hard time handling all the cheesiness which is especially prevalent in a lot of Euro power metal. Thankfully, this release by Italian metal act Screaming Shadows captures many of the things that I really like about power metal without the usual Euro power metal cheese.
One reason could be that Screaming Shadows draw just as much on traditional heavy metal as on power metal. In fact, I would say that the tunes on this release are perfectly balanced traditional metal and power metal. First off, there are plenty of NWoBHM-inspired twin guitar leads, and a lot of the riffage is reminiscent of the style of riffing heard on 80s classics by acts like Accept and Judas Priest. And these elements are seamlessly combined with Euro power metal elements such as the double bass drums and the sixteenth note guitar picking. On top of that there are even some progressive elements in the form of classical Spanish breakdowns in the middle of songs, surprising changes à la Iron Maiden and other nice little details.
Speaking of Iron Maiden, the vocals seem very Bruce Dickinson-inspired at times, but we are not really dealing with a clone here, but just a vocalist that makes use of some of the same powerful vocal techniques – and there is nothing at all wrong with that.
Night Keeper is a powerful metal album that successfully combines Maiden-inspired traditional metal and the best from Euro power metal and is definitely recommended to those who are looking for some cheeseless power metal.
Track listing:
1. Holy Knights
2. Planet X
3. Midnight
4. Who Dares Wins
5. In The Dawn Of Time
6. Black Rain
7. Night Keeper
8. Angel Of Darkness
9. Free Again
10. Lord Of A Sea
11. Cherokee Spirit
12. Wild Horses
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