#primalfear — Public Fediverse posts

Burning Sun – Retribution Review

By Angry Metal Guy

By: Nameless_n00b_607

It has been a much slower year for power metal than I would like. There have been a couple of fun releases here and there, but the volume of quality output has been very low. The classic ‘90s style of guitar-forward and keyboard-minimalist power metal has been significantly lacking in particular, and Burning Sun is looking to change that. Naming themselves after a Helloween song,1 this half-Hungarian, half-Chilean duo is on a mission to tell a classic fantasy story through a legacy sound. Burning Sun’s sophomore album, Retribution, lands only two years after their debut, Wake of Ashes, continuing the story of a paladin named Emaly.2

Burning Sun pays homage to various ‘90s European power metal bands well. While the debut was all about breakneck brightness, Retribution sets its sights towards the guitar grit of Iron Savior and Primal Fear (“Cold Winds,” “Fight in the Night”). The anthemic qualities of Helloween dominate across the board (“Open Your Eyes,” “Shadows Undone”),3 and the occasional Iron Maiden-informed gallops and choruses are a welcome presence. Of the duo, Zoltán Papi4 handles the bass and lyrics, whereas Pancho Ireland doubles as vocalist and guitarist. Ireland has a knack for emulating the classic style of power metal riffage they’re no doubt both fans of, opting for rhythmic hooks rather than lighting up the fretboard. He has upped his vocal game, too, navigating wail and grit in Zak Stevens fashion. Furthermore, he is now the only lead vocalist. Where the debut disoriented itself, juggling three voices, Retribution relies solely on Ireland’s pipes and is better for it. Reducing the number of hands on deck reinforces both vocal and instrumental cohesion.

Burning Sun’s focus on guitars over keyboards is a welcome change from current norms. Power metal of the European variety is often mischaracterized as the over-the-top synth-laden side of the genre, even though it’s never been that simple.5 I love a good mission to Mars, but sometimes remaining at ground level is a better option, and Retribution largely sticks to German conventions. Burning Sun enforces a guitar-first attitude and swears by the triumvirate of soaring anthemic vocals, triumphant guitars, and charming choruses. The culmination of this approach is the stunning Primal Fearesque lead guitar melody on “Cold Winds.” Unfortunately, Retribution does stray from its own design philosophy at times. For example, the moodier ‘80s synth stomper “Aftermath” features some vocal fumbles and feels out of place so early into the album. The voice acting at the end of “Cold Winds” is unintentionally hilarious and breaks immersion—once again confirming that storytelling works best when left to the music and lyrics. The album’s minor drawbacks fortunately never snowball into any major issues, and it never loses its critical fun factor.

Retribution is short and sweet but could pack a bigger punch. I’m a big fan of the trend of younger (and even some older) bands starting to write tight and concise records again, and Retribution is no exception. Below 40 minutes and sans the gargantuan epics that often characterize the genre, it’s a highly replayable breeze. But it feels like Burning Sun is still holding back its full potential. The record does its job well but lacks ambition, and I wouldn’t mind it flying a bit closer to the sun—just a bit more heft, speed, and drama to spice things up throughout. Retribution doesn’t need more songs; its material just needs to rip and tear more. It lacks a true barn burner, the likes of “Steel Tormentor,” or indeed, “Burning Sun.” Cuts like “Heart of Darkness” and “By the Light” are damn close to fortune and glory. Likewise, further production improvements can only help. The sound is better than on the debut, but it could still use punchier drums and more prominent bass. I’m content with what the album delivers, but the flame can and should burn brighter.

Retribution is a fun throwback to the glory days of power metal. Burning Sun isn’t doing anything extraordinary, but they’ve accomplished their goals of writing a good, earnest tale of swords and sorcery. It’s the sort of comfort food that I can never have enough of. The trajectory looks promising for Burning Sun, and I’m curious to see if they can enchant their blades in the future and set aflame the ground beneath.

Rating: Good!
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Metalizer Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Release Date: August 22nd, 2025

#2025 #30 #Aug25 #BurningSun #ChileanMetal #Europower #Helloween #HungarianMetal #IronMaiden #IronSavior #MetalizerRecords #PowerMetal #PrimalFear #Retribution #Review #Reviews #WorldOfWarcraft

Black Knight – The Tower Review

By Steel Druhm

It’s always an interesting experience to seize a promo by a band that’s been around for decades, yet you’ve never heard of them. Thus did I come to discover Dutch traditional metallers, Black Knight. Formed way back in the 80s, they didn’t release an album until 1998, and since then, they’ve only managed 2 other releases, the last being in 2020. Badly delayed by COVID lockdowns and lineup changes, it’s only now that we get 4th album, The Tower. With a sound that borrows mightily from Accept, Primal Fear, and Brainstorm, they bring exuberantly old school antics to the table with slight traces of power metal decorating the edges. It’s not fancy, it’s not new or innovative, but these chaps know what they are doing and how to push a metal song into your ears through brute force. But is there a reason why Black Knight is so little known after so many years in the game?

After the requisite intro that adds nothing at all to the album, things get extra spicy on “Tower,” where they throw all their traditional/classic metal bona fides at you like pocket sand, leaving you vulnerable to the brutal stun. It’s a burly, baddass, fist-pumping gem not far from what Primal Fear churn out on a good day, and it has that big, anthemic sizzle that makes you want to throw cars at disfavored locals. “Survive” comes out with a heavy battering ram riff before shifting gears to a more Brainstorm-esque macho metal style that suits them well. Black Knight have a real gift for crafting classic metal hooks that dig deep and get you on board. Shockingly, they deliver 7 ball-busting metal chestnuts in a row with nary a dip in quality. You get a grinding, moody power ballad like “Misery,” and then they just as easily bludgeon you with an Accept-meets-Mystic Prophecy steamroller like “Die.” This stuff puts you between the hammer and the anvil and irons your shit out good and proper.

Considering I never heard of these guys, I was quite shocked by how consistently good to great these songs are as they kept piling up like an epic car wreck in the consciousness of Steel. The slick songwriting heard on a heavy metal cut like “Deceivers” doesn’t grow on trees, and damn is it sticky like hot tar on a cold day. Not many bands can string together seven sick bangers like these on any given album. So what are the downsides? Well, as impressive as things are for the bulk of The Tower’s runtime, the last few songs seriously undermine their run of luck. “Fire” is a standard, stadium-ready rocker that doesn’t do a lot for me, but the real problem is how things end bizarrely with a German language soft rock ballad called “Im Dunkein.” This thing fits with the rest of the album about as well as steamy rhino shit does on a pricey porterhouse steak. It’s not a good song regardless of genre, and it has no business being the conclusion to a balls-to-the-walls metal album. It’s the kind of song you promptly delete and forget it ever existed, and it’s greatly perplexing why the band thought it fit here. Once this thing is removed, repudiated, and scorned, The Tower makes a Hell of a lot more sense!

GertJan Vis and Ruben Raadschelders are able axe slingers and deliver an effective collection of jackhammering riffs and earwormy harmonies as they crunch and crack along. There’s a definite Accept-on-roids vibe to much of what they do, along with flashes of salad days Annihilator. This blend works well with the kind of songs they serve up. New frontman Henk Overbosch delivers classic metal vocals with poise, power, and enough versatility to move from mood to mood without sounding forced or out of place. He has the right amount of grit and hoarsepower to convince, and the guy has legit pipes too. This is a seasoned, talented crew, and they have serious songwriting chops, which makes it even more completely baffling why they opted to end The Tower with such an ill-advised whimper.

The Tower is a very good traditional metal album with enough piss, vinegar, and pruno to make you even more of a beefbrained barbarian than you already are. It’s entertaining enough to have me sorting through their back catalog, and even with a disaster of a closer, it’s still got serious legs. If you need a classic metal fix with raw power and hooks, Black Knight will be your huckleberry. Sometimes the obscure side is the fun side.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking Stream!! Stop with the streams!!
Label: Pure Steel Records
Websites: blackknight.nl | facebook.com/blackknightNL/# | instagram.com/black_knight_band
Releases Worldwide: July 4th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Accept #BlackKnight #Brainstorm #HeavyMetal #Jul25 #MysticProphecy #PrimalFear #PureSteelRecords #Review #Reviews #TheTower