Reverence-When Darkness Calls

Razor Ice Records
2012

I'm not going to hold the fact that this new power metal group hails from Detroit, Michigan since I'm a Buckeye fan through and through. Instead I'll just mention that this young band (formed in 2010) offer up a killer album of Judas Priest meets Metal Church riffs with enough of an edge to knock the cobwebs out of the old and dusty power metal genre! Reverence is made up of some serious musicians and features guys who have paid their dues in bands like Savatage, Tokyo Blade and Jack Starr's Burning Starr. Not too shabby at all. Probably the best feature of Reverence is vocalist Todd Michael Hall (Harlet, Jack Starr's Burning Starr, Pulling Teeth) who really shines here. Granted, when your backed up by guys like guitarist Bryan Holland (Tokyo Blade, Arrest) and drummer Steve 'Dr. Killdrums' Wacholz (Savatage, Crimson Glory) that helps quite a bit as well. Filling out the line-up is guitarist Pete Rossi and bassist Ned Meloni (Burning Starr) and as a whole unit they gel together almost perfectly. This band has all the tools in place to be truly epic. The moment it feels like things might be settling in and getting too normal you get a cool Savatage or Crimson Glory moment. There is even a little bit of early Queensryche in the mix making "When Darkness Calls" one of those albums that screams for a repeated run-through only this time louder!