Utah isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of American hotbeds of heavy metal activity. Certainly not if you're talking about power metal – the red headed step-child of metal sub-genres in the United States. But Salt Lake City's Visigoth is charging straight out of the Beehive State to fire a magic missile up your ass.
You cowardly basement dwellers out there may already be shrieking like a pack of smelly goblins about how stoopid and fagidy power metal is. Soon, though, your protests will turn to screams of terror as these warriors of metal ride you down to convert you or run you through with their Broadswords of Trueness +3's. Wherever they roam, Visigoth brings the full force of heavy metal with them, and there can be no escape from their wrath. Wimps and posers beware; these guys play with fire in the form of a level 7 fireball to the face.
The band wastes no time with pleasantries like orchestral intros. Instead, the eponymous opening track gallops straight out of your speakers to lay waste to your collection of limited edition depressive suicidal black metal cassettes while you cower helplessly in the corner. Though these reavers hail from the salty lakes of Utah, they worship at the alter of Grand Magus and Manilla Road instead of the false prophet Joseph Smith and his Jell-O loving Mormonite horde. These keepers of the faith are so dedicated to the old metal ways that they even covered Manilla Road's "Necropolis" on The Revenant King. This seems like a daunting task for a fledgling band, but our heroes conquered the song mightily, and the metal gods were pleased.
Visigoth's preferred method of assault is charging full speed ahead into the slobbering ranks of heavy metal charlatans, but they're adept at slaughtering eardrums at slower tempos as well. After the furious opening salvo of "The Revenant King" and "Dungeon Master," the band slows things down as the lumbering "Mammoth Rider" crushes listeners beneath its giant feet. Likewise, "Iron Brotherhood," a salute to true metal warriors that would make the Manowarrior proud, trudges forward ponderously, but with the grit and determination of combat hardened fanatics marching to battle against an army of infidel falses.
It's true that this band of adventures is still wet behind the ears – they're level 2 or 3 at most – but they show exceptional promise for the future. The Revenant King is leaps ahead of 2012's debut EP Final Spell and that was a great addition to the American power metal canon in its own right. Now that these standard-bearers of the old ways are waging war under the flag of Metal Blade, things can just get better for them. Only the metal gods know what's in store for these five brave warriors, but you can help them in their struggles by filling their coffers with gold and spreading the word to your friends. Verily, there's some new blood in the heavy metalsphere, and they're a force to be reckoned with. We, the True, already know the only correct response is to bang our heads in approval. As for the unbelievers? Bend your knee or suffer a split skull!
[youtube]http://youtu.be/qqc1yNuFrps[/youtube]
