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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 02.05.2018
Spanish metal band Lords Of Black has been on a consistent path since their inception in 2014. Even with vocalist Ronnie Romero touring with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, the band has dropped a new studio album every two years. They arrive with their latest and third album, Icons Of The New Days, once more for the Frontiers Music label.
If you've followed Lords Of Black's career with some interest, as I have, then you know what to expect this album. The band delivers a mixture of traditional heavy metal, power metal, and melodic hard rock, with a focus upon Romero's strong vocal presence and Tony Hernando's significant guitar virtuosity. There's just a lot more it. Icons Of The New Days is a long album, twelve songs over 72 minutes. If you get the deluxe addition, there's even more: two additional bonus tracks with five cover songs from Queen, Anthrax, Bruce Dickinson, and Journey. That's getting your money's worth.
Inside the album, you'll find some fine heavy metal rockers with World Gone Mad, King's Reborn, and Long Way To Go, which sways between rock groove and power metal speed. More classic heavy power metal is found within When A Hero Falls and Wait Not Prayers For The Dying. Fallin' is a positively heavy tune with fat riffs and a thumping bass line. Even so, it has a lighter breakdown after the midpoint which swells with another fine Hernando solo. But for a real killer guitar solo, it comes within the closing and longest song, All I Have Left. Beginning at the midpoint, Hernando blazes his way up and down the fret board for nearly three minutes. If you love lead guitar work, buy this album just for Hernando's impressive skills.
All said, Icons Of The New Days finds Lords Of Black in fine and consistent form, delivering more melodic heavy and power metal, properly infused with hard rock groove. Recommended.
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Icons Of The New Days finds Lords Of Black in fine and consistent form, delivering more melodic heavy and power metal, properly infused with hard rock groove. Recommended.
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