Dungeon Wolf-Slavery Or Steel

Self-Release/Independent
2017

Dungeon Wolf is a brand new project from one of the hardest working men in all of heavy metal, vocalist/guitarist Deryck Heignum (ex-Stormlurker member who is otherwise known as Norse Law). The every so cool artwork above, which comes courtesy of Joel Sanchez Rosales and does a bang-up job of representing the epic metal storm that awaits the listener, depicts Dungeon Wolf's founder and front-man as the "Supreme Master of Metal and the Universe" that he is! Skillfully-engineered by Dungeon Wolf' bass player (and fellow Stormlurker' band mate) Stan Martell, "Slavery Or Steel" serves as the full-length debut album for this impressive three-piece band. Ex-Stormlurker' drummer Austin Lane rounds things out this metallic trio. Speaking of all things metallic, Dungeon Wolf's debut combines elements of epic metal, power metal, progressive metal, speed metal, technical metal, and traditional heavy metal. The highly-memorable "Hidden Dreams" opens the band's first album up in style. Not only does it show off the amazing guitar skills of Dungeon Wolf's founder, but his ever-evolving vocal delivery. High-pitched vocals come as a pleasant surprise from this muscular metal maniac. They work well when stacked up against high-classic U.S. power metal. Of course there are still plenty of heavy & harsh vocal lines to be found on this eight song album. Thanks to the versatile nature of this tech-savvy trio, "Slavery Or Steel" offers up the perfect mixture of melody and full-throttle metal. As this is the same line-up that was responsible for Stormlurker's "A Dark Formation", chemistry is at an all-time high (line-up wise). All three members of Dungeon Wolf excel when it comes to the album's overall performances. These are top-tier musicians playing top-shelf epic/power metal. The individual songs show passion and dedication to the holy grail that is heavy metal and each track offers something new and exciting. With splendid lyrics and a fantastic vibe(!), "Slavery Or Steel" is the cream of the crop as far as new metal offerings are concerned! Kudos to everyone involved with Dungeon Wolf's Grade A debut.

Stormlurker-A Dark Formation

Self-Release/Independent
2015

Released this past October, "A Dark Formation" is is the debut offering of the slickly-named Stormlurker. "But, who or what exactly is a Stormlurker?" I hear you asking. Well now, that's where introductions are in order. Talking at least a part of it's name from the (naturally) stormy-state of his home state of Florida (with that lurker part of the moniker quite possibly & unintentionally a subconscious nod toward the late great H.P. Lovecraft!), Stormlurker is the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Deryck Heignum. And that would of course be the same Deryck Heignum of Norselaw fame! Having teamed up with drummer Austin Lane and bassist Stan Martell (the main man who actually produced this smooth as fuck album, but more of that later!), Deryck Heignum actually turns his attention away from the N.W.O.B.H.M.-inspired punk metal that is Norselaw and (with relative ease) conquerors the field of heavy metal-tinged thrash! Fans of the Ohio band Norselaw should already be familiar with Deryck's talent as both a guitarist and vocalist, but for everyone else here's the deal. Stormlurker's front man is one part fine-tuned metal maniac and one part straight-out MANIAC! He's a wiz on the guitar (Shred Shack compared Deryck's playing to "No Rest For the Wicked"-era Zakk Wylde and frankly-speaking here folks that's not too far off from things!) and as a vocalist he's got a nice otherwordly range. Deathly-growls give way to the same kind of wicked vocals that you might just find on some of your favorite late-80's/early-90's thrash albums! What it boils down to is this: this cat has extra sharp claws and he can growl! When it comes his guitar playing on "A Dark Formation" it's as classic as they come while there's also plenty of modern-day mech metal riffs and a doomish over-glow! You know the old saying though right? No man is an island. Not even Deryck Heignum.....or at least not here!! That's where bassist/producer Stan Martell and skinsman Austin Lane come into play. The first lays down fantastic
riffs that are gritty and robust. Stan's style is a perfect fit for the band and in standing by Deryck he offers more straight-line metal material that sharply cuts through the air like a mad mans blade cutting through soft flesh! Meanwhile the drumming on this is stone-cold killer! Not only does Stormlurker's drummer keep the beat, but he mixes in a slew of different styles along the way! On "A Dark Formation" you're just as likely to be reminded of Judas Priest as you are Slayer (drum-wise) and all of that makes for a trio that impossible to ignore! Before we get into the overall sound of this power trio I feel as if we must give a special shout-out to Stan Martell's production on "A Dark Formation". When I first heard this release two things popped into my mind. The first thing was "Holy shit that's hot!" and the second one was (and yeah, this one is weirdly out there!) "This is like something that I would hear on Liquid Metal*!" Obviously Stan not only excels in the filed of bass playing, but as a producer to! All of which brings us to the album's actual music. The best way to describe Stormlurker's particular style would be thrash metal that is influenced by classic/traditional metal. That in and of itself would be wicked right? Even so there's more to it than that. Peppered with doom, power metal and even some death metal elements this proves to be an exceptional release that sounds completely unique and original. Much like his other band Norselaw, Deryck Heignum's Stormlurker sounds like nobody else! When was the last time you heard any band coming across like that? Never right? Well, this band is the real deal as is this self-produced/self-released recording. In a world of imitators here's another band that is far too good to remain unsigned! All that's needed is for the right set of ears to hear this one and it's game on! Here's to hoping that happens friends..... 


Want to know more about Stormlurker? Well then you're in luck! You can find this band online here
and you can read an interview with the band by going this way.




*Back when I had Sirius Radio I used to LOVE their station Liquid Metal. They always seemed to have class act bands on there with crystal clear production that was nothing short of flawless. That same kind of feeling I had for those albums I feel for "A Dark Formation". To put it bluntly, "A Dark Formation" features a stellar, Grade A  production job!

Norselaw-Kingslayer

Self-Release/Independent
2014

The last time we checked in with Ohio's own (supreme lords of the underground metal scene) Norselaw (so named because of it's multi-talented front-man/musician!) we were treated to one of 2013's best album's in "Serpent In The Circling Sea" (http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/08/norselaw-serpent-in-circling-sea.html). Since then things seemed to be quiet...too quiet in fact (as those N.W.O.B.H.M. moments (by way of a noise-infused punk metal band) on said album were the stuff that heavy metal wet dreams are made of!) and I had almost given up hope on hearing from Norselaw (the man, the myth and the legend!) again. And then out of the blue I get a CD with a note from the band and my spirit is once more awakened! Up front Norselaw is Norselaw (vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards) and Jaime (drums) and "Kingslayer", which was mixed, mastered and produced by Norselaw(!), is just the latest in a string of well-received (if grossly ignored by the metal mainstream) releases. With "Kingslayer" Norselaw moves on from "Serpent In The Circling Sea" musically (if not even mythology-wise) by way of an (overall) darker essence which eventually bubbles over like some sort of primordial slime! With all sorts of (odd and yet captivating!) colors splashed across the sky "Kingslayer" offers up the likes of Raven, Venom, Cirith Ungol, Megadeth, Jimi Hendrex, Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, Manilla Road, S.N.F.U., Judas Priest, Butthole Surfers, King Diamond and Bathory over the course of this wildly-intriguing album! What's more those varies influences oftentimes come into play over the course of one song(!) and, in a few weird cases, it's like all of those different bands/artists are playing at the same time! It's true that at times it can all be a tad bit chaotic and that on more then one occasion I got the distinct feeling that it would all make more sense if I was to say, uh-hum, "partake" in recreation "activities". Not that I would do such a thing mind you (in case the NSA or, more importantly, Mom were to read this!), but for my readers out there if that's your king then this album could be your thing! For me though, clean-headed (if not necessarily sober!) this one smoked on it's own merits and with numbers that run well-past the 4-5 minute mark this was one album that threw down the gantlet and I early accepted it! File "Kingslayer" under all things METAL and all things HEAVY and by the gods of Heaven above and hell below play this BEAST like it was meant to be played-LOUD and "Kill 'Em All And Let The Reaper Sort 'Em Out!" PROUD!  
http://www.norselawmusic.com/site.htm
https://www.facebook.com/norse.law

PS:
You better believe this smoldering slab of METAL F***ING FURY will be making it onto this year's "Best Of" list just like "Serpent In The Circling Sea" made it on to 2013's list!

Norselaw-Serpent In The Circling Sea

Self-Release/Independent-Recording
2013

Let me just start off by saying that there are underground bands and then there are DEEP UNDERGROUND bands. Take a wild guess as to which category Norselaw falls into. That's right folks, this is one of those WAY DOWN deep underground names. We're talking WAY DOWN past the C.H.U.D.S. and even past the Morlocks! That says something alright. Or does it? What exactly does it say (if it says anything at all?) and what exactly does it all mean? Mostly it just means that's not a whole lot to go by when it comes to the somewhat mysterious Norselaw and the slightly-odd album that is "Serpent In The Circling Sea". Here's what I can tell you. First, the band supposedly hail from the bad streets of Cleveland, Ohio. And when I say "bad" I really mean the righteous streets of Cleveland or rather the metal-loving scene that hails from Cleveland. What's weird though is the fact that even though they were supposedly formed during the winter of 2003 this is the first time I've heard of this Cleveland act. More and more there's all these "new" Ohio bands popping up that I never knew of meaning my so-called "expert knowledge" of Ohio heavy metal is pure bull-shit! Oh well and hell. Anyway, the second piece of info that I was able to dredge up suggested that Norselaw originally went by the name "Valhalla Ice" (clever!) and was (maybe?) a rap/metal outfit to begin with! Now that would be strange. The thing is it's all so vague. I ended  up going to what seemed like dozens of sites just to dig up some/any bits of information so I could add some background information to this piece. Who knew that it would be so hard to cut through all the misinformation to get to the truth of about this heavy metal act? It's like trying to get the real scoop on our government! It's a daunting task! But, it is what it is so let's move on down the road and get to the next piece of info. As you may have been able to figure out by that last piece of info Norselaw is less of a band and more of a musician. On the self-produced "Serpent In The Circling Sea", which was written by Norselaw, our main-man "sings"* and handles all the guitar playing. That's not too unusual so far right? Well, not only does he handle lead vocals and all the guitar playing, but he also finds time to showcase his skills on bass guitar by pulling off a bass solo! That's a little different I'd say. On the track "Green Lazer", which FYI is a lovely little track all around, our songwriter/vocalist/guitarist (and part-time bassist!) channels the spirit of the late and, damn wasn't he, great Cliff Burton for a quick little bass solo that is down-right sick! That's not to say that Norselaw (the "band") lacks a bass player as there is a "Theon Greyjoy" mentioned in the credits. Both "Theon Greyjoy" and drummer "Jaime Lannister" go by  pseudo names which only adds to the mysterious nature of not only Norselaw, but also of this recording. Why there was the need for pseudo names is any ones guess. It's not as this rhythm section falters or anything. This pair does a pretty smash-up job all around. So, that brings us to the million dollar question I suppose. What exactly does Norselaw sound like? The easiest answer would be that Norselaw sounds like a N.W.O.B.H.M band as imagined by a punk heavy metal band. That's it. That's all there is to it. It's all so rather simple if you think about it and yet it flat out works. And no one is as surprised about that then I am! But, while it might be a simple mash-up there is nothing simple about Norselaw and his skills as a guitarist. There are some sweet licks on here that bring to mind Motörhead while at other times it's almost as if Norselaw has ripped some pages out the N.W.O.B.H.M. handbook to serve as a blueprint to rock out! Otherwise I have no idea who to compare this band to (sound-wise) which is a remarkable achievement for Norselaw. An original sounding band? Yes, it's pretty true! Sure, you might pick up Motörhead and maybe some Lord Weird Slough Feg. And, truth be told, there were some parts of Norselaw's sound that reminded me of Valiant Thor (another band that mixes in punk, classic metal and Lord knows what else in order to rock to their own beat!), Ironboss, Motherboar and Brutal Attack (minus all Brutal Attack's racist bullshit of course!). But those kinds of flashback moments happen all the time when you're listening to (newer) bands. You're likely to always find something familiar in any metal band these days as there are so many bands that have come before. Even in this case the roots might show through on occasion, but it's still an original sound overall and one which any open-minded metalhead would enjoy! This slab of unique metal is going to get quite a few more spins this week and in the weeks, months and years to come!

*The vocals of Norselaw go from being gnarly to downright weird. Sometimes it came across as if he had been gargling petrol before hitting the mic while other times he came across as some old punk trying to find a measure of redemption. All in all though Norselaw gets it done and gives this act a wicked underground feeling!