Blizzard Hunter-Heavy Metal to the Vein

Pure Underground Records
2015

"Heavy Metal to the Vein" is the long-awaited full-length debut from Peruvian speed metal/traditional heavy metal act Blizzard Hunter. A lethal combination of older tracks and new numbers, "Heavy Metal to the Vein" features ten tracks in all and has a run-time that is just short of the fifty minute mark! It's scheduled for release on June 19th and I'm calling it now. I've got dibs on "Heavy Metal to the Vein". This is one of 2015's BEST albums and if there is any kind of justice in the world at all (or at least in heavy metal circles) then it is going to end up sitting atop of many Year End Best Of Lists! Now, long-time readers will be familiar with the name, but for everyone else perhaps a brief overview is in order. First formed in 2006 by lead guitarist Lucho Sanchez (ex-Disinter, ex-Necropsya, ex-Bleed of Hate) and initial going by the name of Blizzard (with the Hunter part added on a later date due to some trademark issues), Blizzard Hunter began life as a Ozzy Osbourne tribute band. Inspired by Ozzy's solo album "Blizzard Of Oz", Lucho Sanchez and his fellow band-mates moved from covering only Ozzy Osbourne to playing songs from Iron Maiden, Metallica, Kiss, Judas Priest, and Megadeth. Other than Kiss (with an exception being made for numbers like "God of Thunder" and "I Love it Loud") those early cover choices offer excellent starting points on the map when we go about examining Blizzard Hunter's metallic sound. With these guys you'll hear some Iron Maiden and Judas Priest as well as some Metallica and Megadeth. And the whole Ozzy thing? Well, dig deep down under all of the aggression and speed and you're likely to find some Black Sabbath heaviness as well as love and admiration for Ozzy's early solo years! All of which is rather wicked when you think about it. Seeing as this band's whiplash approach to heavy metal hides a reasonably darker underbelly it's just like hitting your favorite bottles of beer & win (or in my case hard cider!) and having the early flavors give way to rich and rewarding aftertaste! It's a two for the price of one hit of heavy metal! But that's the end of this band's "story" and we still need to cover parts of the beginning. So anyway, it wasn't long before the band made the inevitable leap from performing covers to writing original material and this album here shows just how far this Lima-based band has come! My first introduction to this incredible heavy metal/speed metal band came in August of 2014 in the form of  "Conqueror of Destiny" and after reviewing the group's first EP I was hooked! When it was released on cassette tape with a limited run of only 100 copies I pretty much knocked over anyone and everyone in my way in order to snag a copy for my personal collection! The three tracks on that EP ("I'm On My Way", "Ghost Rider", and "The Joke") ended up here on "Heavy Metal to the Vein" and back in late January of this year I actually covered the album's blazing title cut! That should bring us all up to speed so let's jump right into the heavy metal fire that is Blizzard Hunter's debut album! As far as the album's line-up is concerned it goes a little something like this. In addition to the insane lead work of guitarist Lucho Sanchez, "Heavy Metal to the Veins" features Sebastian "Dragon" Palma on vocals, Toño "Wild Rocker" Rojas on guitars, and Lalo "Indú" Salas on bass. For the drum parts Blizzard Hunter called in former member
 Juan Miguel Leon. His session work is simply fantastic and there is a nice bit of chemistry going on between him and bassist Lalo "Indú" Salas. There's also a great of chemistry when it comes to Blizzard Hunter's guitarists. Toño "Wild Rocker" Rojas and Lucho Sanchez (ex-Disinter, ex-Necropsya, ex-Bleed of Hate) share solos on Blizzard Hunter's first album and more often then not the pair pull of the ultimate tribute to Glenn Tipton & K. K. Downing! As far as the mic work of lead singer Sebastian "Dragon" Palma (Lightning, ex-Morvidhen) is concerned it has never sounded better! In days of old I talked about this front-man's (all-out addicting) youthful energy and no matter what the band throws at him the answer is always the same! Just as he does in life, Sebastian "Dragon" Palma grabs it by the balls and takes charge like the bad ass he is! For a younger man he certainly has a mature voice and with his band-mates all but doing the same thing this high-pitched singer pays tribute to the good old days of metal! To be more specific we're talking about 80's metal and the whole N.W.O.B.H.M. scene along with influences that run the gamut from Motörhead to Dio! You'll pick up other cues on "Heavy Metal to the Vein" like Raven, Grim Reaper, Helloween, Savatage, and even (early) Slayer! Unlike a hundred plus other bands, Blizzard Hunter stands out because they take those various influences and then build their own weapon of mass destruction! As it stands now the band Blizzard Hunter is all about paying homage, but doing it in a way in which they are securing their own distinct place in hall's of heavy metal! The upcoming "Heavy Metal to the Vein" starts things off with a brief spoken word intro before making a B-line straight to your jugular with "Conqueror of Destiny". Wow! Did anyone get the number of that bus that just flattened me? Heavy to the max, "Conqueror of Destiny" is epic metal the way it should be played and if there is a better way to go right into a heavy metal fan's heart then I don't know what it is! On new cut "Heart Of Fire (Vampire Hunter's Song)" you'll find Blizzard Hunter thrashing about in a mixture of Raven, Iron Maiden, Grim Reaper and King Diamond and man is it ever something to behold! These Peruvian metal maniacs make you want to stand up tall and proud with "Nemesis (Feel My Strength)" and fellow new number "The Murder". The former is a tried and true heavy metal ripper while the latter sees the band delve into doom while keeping one foot firmly planted in the realm of N.W.O.B.H.M.-inspired speed! "The Murder" is also blessed with some stellar heavy rock guitar work and it's these little finishing touches that make this album so special. "My Revenge" and album closer, "The Final Judgement", are the other two new cuts and they are both on the "heavier" side of things. "My Revenge" has a mid-section guitar solo that should make Slayer fans scream with joy ends while "The Final Judgement" just whips riffs at you from all directions! As for the tracks which appeared on the band's "Conqueror Of Destiny" EP? Those three cuts go all the way back to 2011 (if not sooner!), but even so they feel right at home here on the band's debut. Obviously they are re-recorded versions, but "I'm On My Way" (track number two), "Ghost Rider" (track six) and "The Joke"(track nine ) still kick serious ass! Scratch that, "I'm On My Way" and the other two re-recorded numbers sound better than ever and when wedged in tight on this album they help make "Heavy Metal to the Vein" the superb work of art that it is! With the new album all wrapped up and waiting to drop the band Blizzard Hunter has managed to grab itself a nice twofer. Now only is this one of 2015's best heavy metal releases (and one that I'm dying to get my hands on as far as official CD copies go!), "Heavy Metal to the Vein" also holds the distinction of being one of the GREATEST debut albums in all heavy/speed metal! Big words I know, but this is a BIG heavy metal album that is filled up with BIG heavy metal moments! For fans of the band this one will be a no-brainer. Just pick it up and live in the moment! For new fans this will be a chance to hear old school-infused heavy metal/speed metal of the highest quality from a band that lives and loves metal as much as the rest of us! Not only that, but you will end up adding one new album to your collection that will end up being a timeless classic in years to come! Let's all hope that mid-June gets here before we know it!

Blizzard Hunter-"Heavy Metal to the Vein" Single

Pure Underground Records
2015

It was back in August of 2014 when I was first turned on to Peru heavy/speed metal band Blizzard Hunter. Thanks to my friend/fellow blogger (and all-around heavy metal enthusiast!) Strappado (https://www.facebook.com/RareMetal ) I found out about Blizzard Hunter's killer 2014 debut EP, "Conqueror of Destiny" (see link below), and the rest is as they say history! I was instantly hooked!! Active since 2006 (and previously know only as Blizzard) this Peruvian band draws it's inspiration from the 80's metal scene, the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement and groups as diverse as Helloween and Motörhead! Despite all of that Blizzard Hunter's sound and style is distinctly their own and from the onset this heavy/speed metal band has prided itself on issuing nothing but stellar material! There are few bands who can claim that sort of pedigree, but for Blizzard Hunter the proof lies in the material and that is in spite of the (all too familiar as unfortunately even the best of bands is not immune from it) line-up changes that this group has gone through since first being formed by Lucho Sanchez (ex-Disinter, ex-Necropsya, ex-Bleed of Hate) some nine years ago! Now signed to the German label Pure Underground Records (to which I say good for you lads!) and with their first full-length album due for release this year (hell to the fuck yeah!!!) Blizzard Hunter has just released the first single off of what might just end up being one of 2015's best heavy metal LPs! Especially if this particular steady (speed metal)  rocker has anything to say about it! Lead by the youthful energy of mic madman Sebastian "Dragon" Palma (a 20 year old vocalist who channels the spirits of many a great heavy metal singer before him!) and featuring a pair of fucking fantastic co-lead guitarists in Lucho Sanchez & Toño "Wild Rocker" Rojas De la Cuba (lovin' the old-school licks guys!) Blizzard Hunter proves that it's possible to top perfection as "Heavy Metal to the Vein" takes what was laid out on the excellent "Conqueror of Destiny" and then full-out maxes it the fuck out of here! They knock the ball out of the park on this one friends as it's one of those damn perfect combinations where cool lead vocals, slick as all get out guitar solos(!) and some killer bass playing* all converge at the same spot in time and space in order to lay down some pure heavy metal love! This single is just what heavy metal purists having been clamoring for and given the young age of most of the band members here this Peruvian act should have a very long and very fruitful career ahead of them! Including this hells to the bells (metal {throw the horns in the air ladies and gents as this is as good as it gets}maniac style!!!) anthem here Blizzard Hunter's upcoming debut album is set to featuring the following tracks:
01. Conqueror of Destiny 
02. I'm on my way 
03. Heavy Metal to the Vein 
04. Heart of Fire (Vampire Hunter's song) 
05. Nemesis (Feel my strength) 
06. Ghost Rider 
07. The Murder 
08. My Revenge 
09. The Joke 
10. The final Judgment

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Quarter Note Estudio by Paul Pinto la Torre, "Heavy Metal to the Vein" (the album) will begin it's pre-order stage at some point in February so be sure to follow the band on their Facebook page below so that you can be kept up to date on all the action! Said page can be accessed here:
https://www.facebook.com/BlizzardHunter

*The steady-rockin' bass you hear on the aptly-titled "Heavy Metal to the Vein" is courtesy of Lalo "Indú" Salas!


Review of the highly-recommend "Conqueror of Destiny"
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2014/08/blizzard-hunter-conqueror-of-destiny.html 

Blizzard Hunter-Conqueror Of Destiny

Self-Released/Independent
2014

Peruvian heavy/speed metal band Blizzard Hunter was first formed in 2006. Originally conceived as a Ozzy Osbourne tribute band and going by the name of Blizzard (with the Hunter part added only recently due to trademark issues) the group eventually made the move from playing other artists material to performing their own. With guitarist Lucho Sanchez (ex-Disinter, ex-Necropsya, ex-Bleed of Hate) leading the way Blizzard Hunter entered the scene with their first release entitled "Demo 2011". At the time of the demo's release the group was fronted by vocalist Mauricio Medina, but (along with changes to the drummer position) that has now changed seeing as Sebastian "Dragon" Palma (Lightning, ex-Morvidhen) has firmly taken hold of the mic and made it all his own. From this point forward it would be foolish of Blizzard Hunter to make a change. Just as the change from Blizzard to Blizzard Hunter will help them in the long run (as there are far too many bands going by that moniker!) so will the addition of this high-caliber lead vocalist who brings a sense of magic to the mix! As for the rest of the band? Besides Sebastian "Dragon" Palma and the aforementioned Lucho Sanchez the current version of Blizzard Hunter includes guitarist Toño "Wild Rocker" Rojas De la Cuba, bassist Lalo "Indú" Salas and drummer Daniel Ruiz de Castilla. On "Conqueror Of Destiny" we are treated to the same three songs that made up the group's 2011 demo, but it's highly likely that in additional to there being a different, more improved line-up going on with those three tracks ("I'm On My Way", "Ghost Rider" and "The Joke") the new EP features upgrades in both sound and style! That's just a guess on my part, but seeing as strong as these three individual tracks are here on "Conqueror Of Destiny" it would make little to no sense that they were this good before. Why? Well, logic would follow that if the past versions of these three metal gems were this powerful and epic then this Lima-based outfit would already be signed and working on their second or third full-length LP! As a music critic one has to be careful to not toss around or overuse the term "perfect", but in this case Blizzard Hunter's new EP there is just no other way to go about it! For Peru's Blizzard Hunter it's a matter of taking what they most love most (80's speed metal, traditional heavy metal, N.W.O.B.H.M. and even early progressive power metal) and then, by way of a lightning bolt of energy and enthusiasm(!), giving it a make-over so that the end result is an EP that finds all of those influential high-points loving nestled up to epic metal as well as both the European and American style of power metal. It really does end up sounding nothing short of glorious! And it most certainly makes Blizzard Hunter into a legitimate contender. There's little doubt that had this band come along in the eighties a release like "Conqueror Of Destiny" would be considered a classic. As it stands now it's a classic piece of recording and whether we choose to drag out American, European or Swedish bands to compare Blizzard Hunter to it would all end up being the same. These guys are great and "Conqueror Of Destiny" should make EVERY ONE'S best of 2014 list! This self-produced EP was recorded at Quarter Note Studios and it can be downloaded here: http://blizzardhunter.bandcamp.com/releases.Meanwhile there is also a tape version of "Conqueror Of Destiny" that can be pre-ordered at the link below. Due to be released by Sarlacc Productions it is limited to 100 copies, but as a collector's item in the making it is well worth acquiring! Either way though you can't go wrong with Blizzard Hunter and with a rumored album in store for later this year/possibly 2015 this is one band that I'm betting will pay off huge dividends for the label that signs them to a long-term deal!
http://sarlaccproductions.bandcamp.com/album/conqueror-of-destiny