Warriors of Greyhawk

I haven't paid much attention to Greyhawk—I think because I get them mixed up with Grayhawk, who I think are pretty average, and I am somewhat suspicious of bands trying to ride too much Dungeons &Dragons nostalgia anyway. I know I have heard this particular band before, and I remember being kind of meh on them, but that is not what I feel when I listen to this. Greyhawk have seriously leveled up with stellar new vocalist Anthony Corso and new guitarist Rob Steinway (formerly of Skelator) to come up with a third album that is miles better than anything else I have heard them do.

Rather than the kind of stodgy US metal of past albums, this is volleying, crunching, highly melodic metal with a heavy dose of Euro-style Power Metal injected right into the main vein. Catchy riffs, high-octane vocals, and songs that stand out from one another and really go for the throat. They haven't lost their heaviness, just added a lot more dynamic, melody, and speed. The title track alone is a punching, headbanging workout worthy of Iron Savior in their heyday, and while I kept waiting for the quality to drop off, it never really does, and it keeps kicking ass all the way through. A stellar way to start the year.