Philadelphia’s Morgul Blade has quickly made a name for themselves after the release of 2021’s ‘Fell Sorcery Abounds’. The Tolkien-inspired band brings a mix of traditional heavy metal and black metal. This sounds like a mad combination, but it works wonders.
This sophomore album ‘Heavy Metal Wraiths’ brings us 10 tracks totaling just shy of 36 minutes of enjoyment. Just like the first one, they don’t shy away from the Lord of the Rings references, with four Nazgûl adorning the cover (or should we say ‘Heavy Metal Wraiths’?). The opening tracks ‘Eagle Strike’, and ‘Beneath the Black Sails’ feel like classic hard rock in the vein of Dokken or Scorpions, but with raspy vocals more akin to what we find the the earlier black metal scene.
The title track brings in a more melodic approach, while ‘Frostwyrm Lament’ leans more towards the blackened side of things and isn’t to far from what Skeletonwitch would do.
After a short interlude from a wailing voice in ‘Widow’s Lament’, the album continues to throw one banger after another. The combination of very catchy guitar hooks, frequent tempo changes and relatively short songs makes so the tracks never bores and keeps your attention very well. ‘A Welcoming Heath’ is another interlude, this time synth laden and, just as the title suggests, feels like we’re weathered travelers finally arriving at an inn to rest.
It’s an unusual mix of genres and styles, but Morgul Blade made it work phenomenally and deliver a potential future classic of an album.
Score: 90/100
Label: No Remorse Records
Tracklist: 01. Eagle Strike 02. Beneath the Black Sails 03. Heavy Metal Wraiths 04. Frostwyrm Cavalry 05. Widow’s Lament 06. Spider God 07. Razor Sharp 08. A Welcoming Hearth 09. Neither Cross Nor Crown 10. The Last in a Line of Kings
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