True metal gets new Blood.

3 Inches Of Blood - Fire Up The Blades

[3.5/5]
With British-steel pioneers such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden remaining not only active (releasing solid-to-essential albums within the past few years) but also relevant, power metal doesn't require resuscitation. However, the original warriors could use youthful reinforcements, and 3 Inches Of Blood's 2004 album Advance And Vanquish announced the Canadian sextet as this generation's strapping cavalry. Fire Up The Blades doesn't stray far from the previous record's winning alchemy, combining operatic wails with resounding dual-guitar harmonies. Cam Pipes' pitch reaches falsetto pinnacles during phrases such as "I am the reaper of souls" (from "Night Marauders"), the perfect pairing of high-octave range and fantastical content. Pipes alternates with Jamie Hooper, whose metalcore shouts merge smashingly with the thrashier segments and clash with the group's more tuneful passages. Occasionally 3 Inches Of Blood plod through mid-paced grooves without the tonal gravity to summon the requisite doomed ambience, but they shine while shredding through faster progressions. Guitarists Justin Hagberg and Shane Clark synchronize as brilliantly as their Advance And Vanquish predecessors Sunny Dhak and Bob Froese. Their solos, both of the high-speed and ringing-melodic varieties, provide the record's strongest selling point as well as its sturdiest link to the genre's venerable masters. (ROADRUNNER) Andrew Miller

ROCKS LIKE:
Iron Maiden's Powerslave
Judas Priest's Stained Class
Anthrax's Among The Living


Official Website: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com


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