Back in 2009, just after the release of To Death and Beyond, Battleroar almost split up entirely. Vocalist Marco Concoreggi and guitarist Manolis Karazeris went off together and formed Dexter Ward. Their debut album was a much more old-school sounding affair, in the vein of classic Priest. This, their follow-up, sees them moving into much more epic waters.
It is impossible to avoid comparisons with Battleroar this time out, as this is very reminiscent of that band's debut album. The songs here and mid-paced, with pounding riffs and epic songwriting. Marco's vocals are maybe better than they have ever been, as they are more raw and upfront sounding. His feel for vocal melodies is as good as ever, and his style adds another reason why a lot of this sounds like Battleroar, though the approach overall is much more pugilistic. Songs like "Stone Age Warrior" are classic slashes of Epic Metal. The band veers more into the 80s here and there with cheesier songs like "These Metal Wings" and the bonus track "Robocop". From the cover I was expecting nonstop lyrics about barbarians and swords, but the lyrical focus is kind of random, shifting from epics to cheesy Sci-Fi to songs about the Green Berets and how cool it is being in this band.
A solid second album from Dexter Ward, and I am glad to see them embracing the epic style of classic Battleroar a bit more. I would like if the lyrics had more focus, but if the music is this good, I can easily overlook that. Recommended.
