The world of music is one that is constantly in flux. New innovations and changes happen constantly that we never realize until we can take pause and see what’s really been going on. As guitars continue to attach more strings and songs are no longer worthy of common time signatures—the metal world is absolutely changing too. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with innovation and trying to flow with the winds of change as they happen. There’s also no fault in a band that sounds like they were formed several decades ago. If the latter sounds like you, then Visigoth and their newest album, Conqueror’s Oath, is right for you.
Relatively new on the scene, Visigoth is a power/fantasy metal band based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Their first full-length album, The Revenant King, dropped back in 2015. These guys were the real deal right from their inception. The lead vocalist—clad in studded leather and high clean vocals— they brought consistent drums and dueling guitar melodies. The quintet spoke to heroic themes of conquest and adventure among other themes. They showed that they could walk the walk and talk the talk. Was it inventing anything new for the world of power metal? Not quite. Yet, there’s a high amount of appeal for a band today who captures the sounds of famous NWOBHM and power metal acts and produces full-length albums.
Conqueror’s Oath is Visigoth’s next full-length endeavor. In an effort of full disclosure; I have to say I don’t always review bands that I haven't heard before or even bands that I feel one way or another about. Visigoth happens to be a band that I hadn’t heard of until Conqueror’s Oath. So I always do research, therefore, I’m not just reviewing an album without any sort of context. The problem that I run into with Conqueror’s Oath is that any review I can give will sound like any review of The Revenant King. Nothing has really changed at all about the band's sound. There certainly aren’t any surprises lying within the album either. This goes back to my earlier point—one of concern about innovation. A band like Visigoth really takes a listener back to the days of metal past. Conqueror’s Oath, and the sound it embodies are nothing else but good heavy metal.
The best thing Conqueror's Oath does is keep the listener on their toes, it never becomes monotonous. There is a fair amount of slower triumphant anthems, (see “Steel and Silver”), and energetic, faster-paced songs that evoke the NWOBHM so much it's hard to resist (“Salt City" and “Warrior Queen.") Efforts like this show that Visigoth isn’t just a band that who borrows a classic sound to stand out from the crowd. This is music the band is very passionate about and clearly know their way around.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raBpZfbSX10[/youtube]
Conqueror’s Oath is a good album to pop in and remember the good old days of heavy metal. Perhaps you just want to listen to a good and unabashedly old-fashioned album full of fantasy, heroism, and power. If that’s you; then Visigoth should be a band that you have to become familiar with. Conqueror’s Oath is definitely a good place to start.
Score: 7.5/10
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