Forgotten Gems-Cauldron Born-Born of the Cauldron

With these albums we put under the "Forgotten Gems" segment sometimes it's easy to tell why the album in question was forgotten and sometimes it's not as easy to tell. With this one I'd say it's easy to tell. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia this was the debut from Cauldron Born. It's US style power metal with influences including Jag Panzer, Crimson Glory, Manilla Road, Fates Warning and others. However it was released in 1997 which it you don't remember wasn't a hot year for classic style metal. It was more than half a decade after the fall of 80's style metal and a few years before any real large comeback of the genre. Which is a pity because this band certainly knew how to do this style. Cauldron Born were certainly not cautious in their musical approach because they tear right into their songs with melodies soaring and riffs blazing. They don't shy away from some relatively complex runs as well. Which is fine with me because they have the skill to not only pull it off, but make it sound easy as well. It may have been a time when guitar solos seemed to be frowned upon, but fortunately Howie Bentley wasn't phased by that and cranked out some killer solos. There are some parts where the band could have been tighter and the production could have been a bit more sharp, but this remains a find solid metal album.

This album was originally released on Undergroound Symphony and quickly went out of print, but Stormspell records re-released it.