LP Review: "Conductor of Storms" by Medevil

Conductor of Storms

Do you remember when the world was young?

There was a time in my life when Heavy Metal was just looked at as a fad, a passing thing, and that it would soon die.

In those days, we had such monster bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath fronted by Dio, embryonic Metallica, and Mercyful Fate all in their primes.

In 2016, the cool kids call this type of music Traditional Heavy Metal....there's no reason to add traditional to that, but whatevers, man.

What was a fad, or a passing thing was that specific kind of heavy metal. The seeds were already sewn in that list, Metallica came along and the world changed. The modern era still sees a fair few releases of NWOTHMTDUDBD (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal That Doesn't Use Double Bass Drums), but it is not the vibrant scene it once was.

Medevil

Because this music is as scarce as water in California, we must pay special attention to what we are lucky enough to receive.

Medevil transports me to a different time in my life, back when it wasn't just Heavy Metal that was young, but myself included.

If you had told me then that I'd be an insignificant rock writer, well, most likely, I'd have needed you to define insignificant.

Medevil must have a time turner, because they have reclaimed the spirit of early metal. Not just the spirit, but the sound. The guitars have a classic tube amp sound with amazing sound. It also doesn't hurt to hear the boys meshing on harmony licks and the addition of a few modern techniques keep their playing fresh.

Any one who believes metal requires double bass, and there are a few, should probably go ahead and check out my latest death metal review, because AK-47 drums are not present. If you're following along, leave that box unchecked.

Though this is a self released record, it sounds nothing like one. This album is aurally crafted to perfection. Brickwalling, nope. Too quiet, nope. None of the indie traps are here and it's a breath of fresh air.

Medevil has taken all of the classically metal archetypes and created a second wave of traditional heavy metal. If this is what they can do on their debut, we should be hearing about these gents from Chiliwack, BC many times over the years.

Release: 8/26/16
Genre: Traditional Heavy Metal
Label: DIY
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