Philadelphia based fantasy/battle themed heavy metal band Blazon Rite return with a second full length release.  For those not familiar with their work, fans of Seven Sisters, Traveller, Visigoth and Ice War would surely enjoy this third release in total.

‘Salvage What You Can of the Night’ has plenty of metallic fire comprising of an infectious vocal delivery and really cool guitar solo topping a strong arrangement. With such an arrangement, it is perfectly crafted to include live audience participation. ‘Troubadours of the Final Quarrel’ heralds more speed metal in its approach. This is a real vibrant tune and an awesome structure. The band take you to all the good places and combine them into a track that stands out amongst their peers. You may think that the band are getting soft with their acoustic start to ‘The Fall of a Once Great House’, non-so. The epic story telling is perfectly augmented by a poignant guitar in the background telling this ancient tale. I’m surprised here, double kick drum used in a semi ballad! This is a nice touch, I don’t think I have ever heard this before, it’s certainly stood out to me. The track develops and the chugging guitar starts, and you may well feel the smile growing on your face. Blazon Rite have certainly developed their song structure, it perfectly captures the tale been borne out by the vocals. Not to repeat myself, ‘Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom’ follows a similar song structure with different elements added.

I mentioned crowd participation, ‘Mark of the Stormborn Riders’ has a nice build up and encourages participation. For the chorus, if you are not wielding your sword and engaging in beer swilling camaraderie, then I must be on a different planet!  ‘The Coming Tide of Yule’ is a slow song, well, it was, it transcends into a metal juggernaut. By now, you have the band formula perfected, you will embrace the mighty embrace of this gifted collective.

Overall, Blazon Rite have mastered their art on this album, it’s enjoyable and fitting to the current wave of bands in this field. These guys add some additional influences and the US scene is certainly very strong, you only had to look at the line-up of the recent Hells Heroes festival to realise this. Of course, this travels well in the European scene. Blazon Rite are at the cusp of glory, they have grown and have a strong support mechanism behind them in terms of the record label.

(8.5/10 Paul Maddison)

https://www.facebook.com/blazonriteofficial

https://blazonrite.bandcamp.com/album/wild-rites-and-ancient-songs-2