The Armor of Ire

Eternal Champion have been banging around in the underground for a few years now, making some waves with their Retaliator/Vigilance split with Gatekeeper last year. I was not the only one looking forward to this full-length debut with keen anticipation.

Eternal Champion play a brand of US-Metal that owes a bit to Omen in the riff-style, but Jason Tarpey's haunting vocals call to mind more epic bands like Manilla Road or classic Warlord. The production on this disc is really first-rate, with heavy guitars, a good mix, and enough rawness to sound authentic without losing clarity. Opener "I Am the Hammer" is a pugilistic number, but the title cut is where the riffs get more complex and melodic, and Tarpey shines with evocative vocal melodies.

Overall, the first half of the disc is stronger, but there are no bad songs on it. The album is a bit short at just 34 minutes, including two rather faceless instrumentals, so it is a bit scanty. But overall this is just what we wanted from an Eternal Champion debut – heavy, melodic True Metal with strong riffs and haunting vocals. Worthy.