Minions of Metal

This is a powerful second album for US band Wind Wraith, and I am surprised it didn't make more of a splash when it came out. I had never heard of this band before, but I am glad they finally pinged my radar. Deeply influenced by classic US Heavy Metal like Steel Prophet, Jag Panzer, and Helstar, Wind Wraith are definitely an underground gem.

This album combines galloping Iron Maiden-styled riffing with that hard-to-define feel of the best of 80's metal. Liege Lord, Axehammer, Helstar, and classic-era Jag Panzer all come to mind listening to this, in no small part due to Scott Oliva's strong, clear wailing on the vocals. No, I have no idea if he's related to 'those' Olivas, but he sure can sing. There are a bunch of good songs on here, like "Iron Mask", "Road To Glory", "The Fallen One"...shit, okay so there aren't any bad songs on here at all. What you get is just a solidly consistent album of pure classic steel. Somehow nobody heard of this when it was put out a couple of years ago, but that should change, because Wind Wraith are too kick ass to ignore.