Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2024 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
December 2024
- After Lapse: Pathways
- Illusion Force: Halfana
- Powell-Payne: Voilá
November 2024
- Sunstorm: Restless Fight
- Storace: Crossfire
- Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
- Lionville: Supernatural
- Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
- Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
- Lonerider: Down In The Dust
- Seventh Crystal: Entity
- Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
- Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
- Impellitteri: War Machine
- Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter
October 2024
- Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
- DGM: Endless
- Daytona: Garder la Flamme
- Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
- Frost*: Life In The Wires
- Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
- Fans Of The Dark: Video
- Radioactive: Reset
- House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
- Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire
September 2024
- Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
- Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
- Eclipse: Megalomanium II
- SteelCity: Reverence
- Hydra: ReHydrated
- Heartwind: III
- Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
- Find Me: Nightbound
- The Nail: The Nail
- Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
- Stryper: When We Were Kings
- Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
- Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
- Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly
August 2024
- Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
- Paralydium: Universe Calls
- Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
- Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
- All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
- Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
- Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2
Traveler: Prequel To Madness
Traveler: Prequel To Madness
Traditional Heavy/Speed Metal
4.0/5.0
Facebook
Instagram
No Remorse Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 23.02.2024 | Released: 23.02.2024
The last we heard from Traveler was in Spring 2020 with their sophomore effort Termination Shock, just when the COVID shit hit the fan. Despite the impact of that pandemic, Traveler would drop a single in 2022, a cover of Diamond Head's The Prince. In that same year, Nolan Benedetti (Hrom) would replace Chad Valler on drums. The following year, Jake Axl Wendt, also from Hrom and Wych, would arrive on bass. Now the quintet drops their long-awaited third metal opus, Prequel To Madness, now on the No Remorse label.
Traveler
For the uninitiated, or those with short term memory loss, Traveler offers twin guitar driven traditional heavy speed metal, very much an inspiration of Eighties NWoBHM and its American interpretations. Distilling their sound a bit more, Traveler is fast and heavy from the gate with the finishing line the epic blistering solos. Over this, Jean-Pierre Abboud continues to offer his assertive, often raw vocals.
Essentially, the entire album is a horse race, or something like the Daytona 500. The starting instrumental, Mayday, sets the tone: one minute and fifteen seconds of galloping speed metal. Then Take The Wheel, Dark Skull, and The Law put the pedal to the metal. Then, when we get to the middle of the album, Rebels Of Earth turns more upon classic heavy metal, being anthemic and driven by rock groove. It was my favorite song here, if not simply for change of pacing. Call that tune a small respite as the second half of the album roars and rages with more traditional speed metal. To be honest, I listen to Traveler mostly for the thrilling guitar work, trying at the same time to ignore Abboud's voice (which is a distraction.
Nevertheless, for classic heavy speed metal Traveler delivers the goods with Prequel To Madness. The album is fast, heavy, and intense with an abundance of thrilling guitar solos. Recommended for fans of the genre.
Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.
The Take Away
For classic heavy speed metal Traveler delivers the goods with Prequel To Madness. The album is fast, heavy, and intense with an abundance of thrilling guitar solos. Recommended for fans of the genre.
Support the artist, click the link below to buy the album in your favorite format.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
New & Notable
The Powell Payne project, created in 2022 is the collaboration of Mark "Penfold Powell (ex-drummer of Psycho Kiss) and Adam Payne (former vocalist of Airrace). With guitarist Adam Davies and keyboard player ... [ Read More ]
November 2024 Stats
- Views: 16K
- Active Users: 4.2K
- New Users: 3.5K
- Event Count: 45K
Source: Google Analytics