siLLy puPPy
Clocking in at less than 30 minutes their second album is major leap in quality of their pre-Helloween American epic power metal over their debut in pretty much every way. The songwriting is more varied, the production is clearer, the vocals are better although a little muffled and the creativity is turned up several notches. The subject matter is also more varied and besides epic battles, we get chemistry, Satan and of course some black death! All recorded in their own Cavern Of Thunder studios.
The band is really tight with the jazz influenced drummer Jack Hays delivering some serious pounding of the skins, Bob Wright and T-Bone Behney trading off some cllassic metal riffs and tasty leads, and Jim Schumacher abusing his bass like there's no tomorrow. The epic feel is contagious as I feel like i'm transported to a battlefield dotted by war and plagues ready for raucus medieval madness. A spectacular epic metalfest from start to finish. A sadly under-appreciated album from a band that deserves more recognition. Unfortunately the band would be on hiatus for the next 16 years before they would release their third album.