DUNGEON CRAWL / THRONE OF IRON – ‘The Side Quest’ Wise Blood Records – 2022.
Super prolific Indiana Heavy Metal band Throne of Iron have teamed up for a split collaboration with Californian Thrashers Dungeon Crawl for a quick bout of Dungeons & Dragons themed metal antics, facilitated by Indiana label Wise Blood Records.
Featuring seven tracks, things get under way with Dungeon Crawl and the eerie 80’s sci-fi styled synth tones of ‘Minions of A Dark Master’ which leads quickly into ‘Where the Coin Falls’, a straight up fast paced Thrash affair that oozes with gnarly bass leads and catchy powerful riffs. They play a simple Thrash style that rages along nicely and harks back to the genre’s golden era, which shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise with them being from the San Francisco bay area. Whilst Dungeon Crawl don’t necessarily break the mould of Thrash, they do still offer up an adrenaline fuelled romp of flailing guitars, a pummeling drumming onslaught and savage vocals.
Throne of Iron tend to write the longer tracks of the two bands, and their Old School Traditional Metal sounds are the ideal second chapter to this split release. Intricate flowing guitar leads are the order of the day, with a slightly muffled drum tone and a fairly powerful vocal style completing the ensemble. Like the previous band, they don’t try to reinvent the wheel with their style but you’ll be hard pressed to find yourself not grooving along to this little slice of nostalgia.
I may not get all of the DnD references in this split but both bands know how to put on a show. Yet another strong release from the roster of Wise Blood Records. (Marksson)
Burning Metal