Album Review: Warkings - Revenge
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Good old power metal. When done well it can raise the spirits, lifting your sword to the sky as the riffs and the drums race, the lyrics inevitably reference mighty battles and harmonies rule the choruses. Think Helloween, Running Wild and Blind Guardian as a benchmark.
But before we dive deeper, who are Warkings? Well, this is where it becomes silly. According to Napalm Records biography, Warkings are ‘The four ancient kings, a Roman tribune, a wild Viking, a noble crusader and a martial Spartan, gathered in the golden halls of Valhalla, escaped from the realms of obscurity and stole their souls from the Lord of the abyss. In a bloodthirsty furore, the demons seek revenge on the Warkings, but Odin’s legates are more than ready to vanquish the Monarchs of the dusk with their hard-hitting anthems’. Got that? Good. So, we have The Tribune on vocals, The Crusader on guitar, bassist The Spartan and The Viking on drums. A quick search on the internet reveals that Senerity vocalist George Neuhauser is The Tribune and if you are familiar with his work then his vocals are going to be too distinctive to miss.
Silly pseudonyms apart, Warkings are certainly competent in the power metal musical stakes. Following on from 2018’s debut release ‘Reborn’, ‘Revenge’ provides ten tracks of cheesy but well produced power metal. Opening track ‘Freedom’, a take on the Braveheart story is a stirring opening song, the chorus held aloft with pride whilst everything else fits neatly into place. It’s all very rousing, with lots of chanting and fists in the air. Think Manowar meets Dream Evil and you are edging to the right territory.
‘Fight in the Shade’ is an anthemic rabble rousing track, but it’s the arrival of the gravel throated roars of the Queen of the Damned, aka Melissa Bonny from Evermore and Rage of Light which sets alight the song ‘Odin’s Sons’. Her ferocious delivery fires the pace, and once more the images are of heroic Scandinavian heroes wielding shield and sword.
Inevitably, the ballad arrives in the shape of ‘Banner’s High’, a ghastly sing-along which had me clutching the abdomen to keep lunch from a return visit. Thankfully, that is the only vomit inducer here and otherwise it is an album that doesn’t challenge too much but which can be welcomed by those who enjoy songs of war, heroism, and mighty battles. It doesn’t make you a band person whatsoever!
With some snazzy videos accompanying the release, the ‘mystery' around the band may be paper thin, but as power metal goes, this is a solid release. It is formulaic but that is to be expected. A bit of escapism today is no bad thing. Raise the swords and form the shield wall!
