Even 15 years ago when I was getting back into Metal and buying anything and everything Power, all the songs I heard from Italy's Highlord left me cold and I never bought any of their albums. In 2016 the band released their eight full-length, Hic Sunt Leones, and when it hit my review queue it was time to give them a shot. Several listens later and my initial impression of Highlord' music is confirmed; they are a second-rate Power Metal band that plays generic songs with dull riffs and instantly forgettable choruses. The vocals have a ton of echo, unusual for Power Metal and giving the singer a sort of Tony Moore/Riot sound, but the similarities end there. Highlord's vocalist delivers a mechanical performance throughout the album with no real feeling. There's not one song that has stuck with me in any way, shape or form. The musical performances are decent but simply cannot overcome the leaden songwriting. Hic Sunt Leones is a bland and soulless album that is for Power Metal fanatics only.
