Album Review: Greyhawk - Warriors Of Greyhawk
Reviewed by Rich Oliver
Despite all the trends and fashions in rock and metal that get the limelight, the traditional ways never seem to die and ensure despite whatever is flavour of the month. As well as the veteran bands that endure, there is a continual wave of newer bands ensuring that old school heavy metal reigns and Greyhawk are one such band. Forming in Seattle in 2016, Greyhawk have two albums and two EP’s of heavy metal glory which mixed traditional heavy metal and old school US power metal with elements of AOR to wonderful effect with their sound fully realised on previous album “Thunderheart”.
With album number three “Warriors Of Greyhawk”, there is a renewal and a revamp for Greyhawk. The band are now boasting two new members - guitarist Rob Steinway and vocalist Anthony Corso - and this brings a new dynamic to the band. Anthony Corso has a far more high register and melodic vocal range than his predecessor Rev Taylor who employed a melodic yet gruffer lower register vocal attack.
This increase in vocal dynamics means that the material on “Warriors Of Greyhawk” has a far greater European power metal influence to it which is mixed in with the USPM attack of songs such as ‘Ascension’, ‘Words Of Power’ and ‘Embers Rise’ delivering huge melodies and big hooks. There is also a greater degree of speed with an infusion of speed and thrash metal in the riffs department in songs such as ‘Land Of Ashes’, ‘Endless Race’ and ‘Hyperspace’. The AOR elements are still in place and can be clearly heard in anthemic tunes such as ‘Chosen’, ‘Rise Above’ and the rousing title track.
I was a massive fan of the “Thunderheart” album but it seems that with “Warriors Of Greyhawk” the band have surpassed themselves and done their best album to date. With the change in vocalist and slight shift in sound, it will initially be a bit jarring for fans of the band’s previous work but the inclusion of Euro power metal elements really give the album an injection of charisma, energy and dynamics. The variation between the songs will ensure that fans of European power metal, US power metal and traditional heavy metal will all find something to love here.
