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Consisting mostly of members who at some point have had an associated with Iced Earth, Charred Walls of the Damned is something of a supergroup that first popped up in 2010 with the release of their self-titled debut album. Formed by drummer Richard Christy, the band also features Iced Earth alumni in vocalist Tim Owens and bassist Steve DiGiorgio. The line-up is completed by Jason Suecof on guitar. The group were quick to follow-up their debut with Cold Winds on Timeless Days (2011) but have since then been quiet. That is until now, as Charred Walls of the Damned are back after a five year absence with Creatures Watching Over the Dead (2016), their third full-length album.
The phrase 'coming back with a bang' seems to be quite apt when the band kick the album off with the excellent My Eyes, a storming power metal track. The riffs are aggressive and heavy and Tim Owens quickly makes the presence of his distinctive vocals felt. He sounds in top form on this album. The hard hitting power metal sound continues with The Soulless, but through it all the band don't forget to have their power metal hooks in their lyrics. The band have a sound that exists somewhere between the European and US power metal styles, featuring both fast paced stuff and harder traditional and thrash metal leanings. They're quick to show with the album that such a best of both worlds approach can really deliver the goods. The next track Afterlife introduces some acoustics to the sound and initially misleads the listener into thinking it's the near obligatory power metal ballad rearing it's head, but it quickly dispels that illusion. Another couple of highlights are the short but powerful Reach into the Light and the immediately following Tear Me Down.
Creatures Watching Over the Dead is not an excessively long comeback album from Charred Walls of the Damned, featuring just 33:21 minutes of music. It's a getting the job done kind of release, no fancy frills required and is all the better for it. Not every track is able to hit home quite as well as those early ones do, but overall its an impressive release from the band. They may have been away for five years but now that they are back they clearly mean business.