ONWARD - Of Epoch And Inferno LP (Mustard Vinyl)

LP VINYL 250 copies
100x LP MUSTARD VINYL 

Right-off-the-bat, this is the band’s most aggressive outing, a full-on speed metal slab which races with classics like Attacker’s “Second Coming”, Helstar’s “Remnants of War”, and Savage Grace’s “After the Fall from Grace” every single inch of the way, with a most vicious, also beautiful, beginning awaiting the listener, “Vicious Beauty” the title, a lively fast-paced roller-coaster with Knapp nonchalantly shooting dazzling guitar pyrotechnics into the aether, the fierce gallops on “Picasso Eyes” pouring more fuel into the sizzling setting, the latter totally engulfing “Silhouette” as well, a short non-fussy piece with more optimistic undercurrents. On the darker rowdier side of the spectre we have the restless on-the-verge-of-thrash headbanger “Ring Around the Rosary” and the vehement sweeper “Neptune's Revenge”, only that we have Knapp’s revenge here, the man producing an array of sharp cutting riffs to everyone’s delight, his militant tactics totally legitimate on “Divided We Fall”, too, a ferocious speed metal assault which is again that close to tumbling into the good old thrash’s snare, the strive at complexity here titled “Onward We Sail”, an entangled conundrum with formidable uncompromising gallops epitomized initially, but there’s more to savour like tight technical chops, dramatic crescendos, head-spinning lead pirouettes, and last but not least an absolutely ravishing nostalgic epitaph.