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October 12, 2008 |
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VALKIJA - Avengers Of Steel
Sonic Age (2004) |
7.5/10 |
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01. The Last One
02. Hold On
03. Eyes Of The Shadow
04. Return Of The King
05. Sign Of The Hammer
06. The Unknown Kadath
07. Son Of Thunder
08. Steel Avenger
09. Hatchet Blade
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From Italy, home of metal heavyweights such as RHAPSODY, LACUNA COIL, and LABYRINTH comes VALKIJA, bringing the classic 80's metal sound into the 21st century. Formed in 1999, they played their style of metal throughout Italy and gained a strong fan following before recording their demo "Days Of The Rising Sun" in late 2002. That demo gained them high praise in a number of music publications in several different countries, landed them opening slots with the likes of THY MAJESTIE and VISION DIVINE, and led them to their eventual signing with Sonic Age Records in 2004.
Citing their influences (including IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON, DIO and others) gives us a good idea of what VALKIJA (Zoraija - vocals, Jhon Turturro - guitars, Nikoll Hamm - bass, and Sebastian Hamm - drums) have in store for us - the classic metal sound influenced by elements of German power-metal and AOR. The opening track, "The Last One", has the distinct Zakk Wylde guitar sound, heavily down-tuned with plenty of wah-pedal. I was sure that I heard a riff reminiscent of DOKKEN's "Dream Warriors" in "Hold On". In the short intro to "Return Of The King" uses another forgotten metal standard - backwards masking. "The Unknown Kadath" is an emotional roller coaster with its rise-then-fall tempo changes. There are also some low volume demonic background vocals in "The Unknown Kadath" ala Dani Filth, which took me a few listens to actually hear, but I found that they really enhance those parts of the song.
"Hatchet Blade" is the strongest track on the album and brings the best of all its predecessors into one powerful and memorable song.
It's obvious that band's sound is most definitely rooted in the eighties. You can hear it - from the overall sound of the band themselves to the presence of the whammy-bar and wah-pedal, to the in-your-face guitar sound in the mix. "Avengers Of Steel" is chock full of great riffs, tight rhythms, and an overall mid-paced groove that is not overly technical. Fans of most 80's/early 90's metal bands will very much appreciate this sophomore offering from VALKIJA, who remind us of a time when metal was more straightforward and much less complicated.
Sebastian Hamm comes across as a power drummer, keeping the rhythm section tight while throwing in some offbeats here and there while Turturro is very skilled with his 6-string. He executes strong leads and lays down thick rhythms throughout. The solos in "The Unknown Kadath" and "Return Of The King" are his best performances on "Avengers Of Steel". Unfortunately, the bass guitar is lost in the mix more often than not, so I can't really comment on Nikoll Hamm's abilities. Vocalist Zoraija can really belt out the high-pitched screams and often reminds me of Steve "Hamie" Haymen from HEAVY PETTIN'. She's very capable but occasionally overdoes it, screaming for the sake of screaming, and sounds much better sticking to what she does best - singing and not over-singing. As stated earlier, closer "Hatchet Blade" is one of the album highlights and Zoraija's vocals within are her best as well.
"Avengers Of Steel" is a classic/traditional heavy metal release, now considered to be bordering on hard rock due to the extremes that metal as a whole has been pushed to in recent years. The band would have likely achieved greater success and stronger sales had this been released 15-18 years ago when this style of metal was at its peak. However, that being said, if you're a fan of straight-ahead guitar chords, aggressive drumming, searing vocals, and basically everything that made 80's metal as memorable as it is, add this release to your collection ASAP!
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