Specialty labels are a labor of love. Especially in the heavy metal realm, it’s so easy to clamor for the latest trends in the hopes of riding that cash cow to the coffers. Since I was a child of the 1980’s, finding out that Stormspell Records is a label that professes a love of traditional/speed/thrash oriented bands from that same era brings a smile to this face, hoping to unearth more treasures. Ancient Empire hail from California, and on their 9 song self-titled debut album perform a brand of American style power metal that features epic-oriented riffs, old school warrior choruses, and a steady stream of riffs and tempos that scream allegiance to the cause.
Familiarity in this case does not breed contempt – as I’m sure many long-time aficionados can pick out a lot of reference riffs and parts in certain songs like “Wings of Steel” (Twisted Sister “Under the Blade”) or “Valley of Slaughter” (Iron Maiden “The Evil That Men Do”) – yet Ancient Empire make things work because of the smart hook elements and natural flow part to part, song to song. Naturally the double bass brings the energy level up a little higher – but on a song like “Prophecy Revealed” the importance of a straightforward mid-tempo anthem rhythm template during the verses makes the occasional double bass rolls that much more impactful.
A nice dual guitar harmony aspect will bring to mind a lot of Iron Maiden/ Omen comparisons, while at other times the darker, slow building riffs recall classic early Savatage – and there is an aggressive nature at times that can bring up vintage Iced Earth memories. Favorites change day to day, but opener “Shadow of the Cross” and the one-two punch of “Ghost Soldiers” and the gallop-oriented “Ancient Empire” should elicit synchronized air guitar maneuvers and loads of devil horn salutes.
I can see this going over very well to a number of classic metal enthusiasts.
Matt Coe, HMS
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