West Of Hell
Spiral Empire
Reviewed by: Ryan Sullivan
In an age of heavy metal where newer bands may sacrifice some of their “soul” for speed and technicality in order to progress, West Of Hell enters the ring with Spiral Empire. Hailing from New Zealand by way of Canada, they prove without a doubt that traditional heavy metal can still reign supreme.
WOH flawlessly boasts their musicianship throughout the entire album while giving a much-needed nod to the old-school of heavy metal. Gang vocals, epic chorus themes, punctual tempo shifts and solos that impress as much as they entertain the listener. It’s all there for a reason and they play it proudly.
Their heavy attention to rhythmic attitude is prevalent all across Spiral Empire. “Water of Sorcery” hurls you through a sense of complete urgency with surgical axe-slides and blistering vocals. The outro in “Unworthy” stomps around with a much-deserved sense of accomplishment. The title track gallops over its riffs with the power and tenacity of a blooddrunk viking. The list goes on and each bullet-point is sure to make your blood pump harder and faster.
Spiral Empire not only carries the torch from its influences, it fuels the fire with West Of Hell’s own evolution of traditional heavy metal. Just be careful if you happen to listen to it on the road, headbanging can be dangerous in heavy traffic.
