adg211288 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.

arcane-beautiful TIM RIPPER OWENS!

Yes this name does make me excited like a little boy at times…cause in my opinion Tim Ripper Owens is one of the best metal vocalists we may ever have (I think his curse is over, now that he found a band he can front that just isn’t trying to replace their lead singer…unless Chuck Schulinder comes back from the dead).

Now their last album kind of flew over my head. It didn’t leave much an impact because it wasn’t as interesting as I though it was…and I’m glad they made a second one…in fact, it seems that this album seems to be the album I wanted them to make…well kind of.

The album does have some really belters on it, especially the first few songs and some of the others. But some aren’t as strong, but to be honest, you expect some slight filler on albums. It isn’t that the songs are bad, they’re just not the best. The album is pretty strong, and does maintain a similar sound throughout, but at times the sound can be a bit too similar.

As usual, the vocals are amazing. Instrumentally the band really blend and play in a way that metal bands should really admire and be jealous of. And especially because they have Richard Christy on drums, one of the best metal drummers…ever! The blend of styles throughout is really cool as well, especially when more extreme genres like black and death metal are heard. And Blastbeats with clean vocals I think has always been a rare and cool thing to hear.

And hey…there is passion behind all of this.

1. Timeless Days – This is what I’ve been looking for in this band. A really amazing epic start to an album. This song has one killer chorus. Tim really sings his heart on this song (as usual) and musically it’s just as good. To be honest, it even has a Dream Theater vibe to it at times. The twists and turns are really killer as well. One of the best songs from last year in my opinion. 10/10

2. Ashes Falling Upon Us – Ok…this song is kick ass. But you have to admit…it is hilarious when he says ashes…cause it sounds like he’s saying asses. Brilliant chorus (despite the funny side to it). Just a decent killer metal song really. Lyrics are pretty cool too. 9/10

3. Zerospan – Blastbeats in a power metal song? Yes this is what I’m hearing. I was really surprised at what this song had in store of me. At times, it’s a quite dark song, with melodic black metal tinges to it, and then all of a sudden it turns into a really catchy power metal song. The chorus is actually quite uplifting, and the lyrics are cool too. 9/10

4. Cold Winds – It’s a short little song, but it does pack quite a punch. Tim really wails on this one. 8/10

5. Lead The Way – When I heard the intro, I thought it was Arch Enemy haha. Pretty killer riffs in this song. I love how the song builds up so epicly to a pretty killer chorus (this album does this a lot actually). 9/10

6. Forever Marching On – The groove influenced song haha. Despite the killer riffs. It does seem to be a bit filler. 7/10

7. Guiding Me – This intro sounds like an intro to a Death song (I wonder why…). Pretty epic chorus, and Tim really does wail like a beast on this song. Pretty cool chorus in the song. And some interesting lyrics. Although I hate the way this song ends…because it does sound like it could have had a pretty cool ending, instead of a very awkward fade out. 8/10

8. The Beast Outside My Window – A ballad? What is this? The 80’s. And yes…the acoustic intro does end and turn into a pretty epic power metal intro…WITH BLASTBEATS! This is a pretty interesting song, and I love the Avenged Sevenfold backing vocals in the chorus. The lead up and the chorus itself is pretty cool. 8/10

9. On Unclean Ground – Pretty killer bass work on this song. Would be a weaker song if the instrumental bits weren’t as interesting. 7/10

10. Bloodworm – Such a killer name for a song. This song has a doomy almost Candlemass vibe to it. Love the melodic death metal riffs that decorate the song. Has a great melodic feel to it, and the slower tempo does add to the atmosphere. 8/10

11. Admire The Heroes – To be honest, when you hear a song title like this you already thing “oh, I bet its one of those stupid ass licking then American troops song”. But it wasn’t…thank God. In fact, a lot of sense was put into this song, as an attack on war itself. I’m really glad these guys were able to craft a song like this. Pretty killer song too by the way. 9/10

12. Avoid The Light – Love the dark twists and turns in this song, and the black metal influence is pretty cool too. The lyrics are really cool too. Pretty cool chorus as well. 8/10

CONCLUSION: Overall it’s a pretty decent killer metal album. There is some real anthems on this album, but some of the songs can sound too similar at times sadly. But, the sound these guys make is amazing. I think these guys are slowly getting better, and I think that they still have their best album to make. But this will do for now.

7.2/10

Time Signature Ashes falling upon us...

Genre: prog/tech power-thrash

With a star-studded band that comprises people who have been involved in acts like Death, Control Denied, Crotchduster, Judas Priest, and Iced Earth, you already know that you are in for a treat. The question is just what kind of treat it is that you are in for.

In this case, you are treated to top class progressive, technical thrash metal with sublime songwriting and superior performance across the board. Richard Christy's drumming is both rock solid and technical and full of details the should make any drummer pull out their notebooks and start taking notes, while Jason Suecof's riffs are precise and face-ripping and the solos blazing and impressive. Tim Owens' vocal delivery is impeccable, and his broad range which - let's face it - rivals legends like Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson and Ronnie James Dio, adds a further dimension of power and expression to the music. And, of course, the album bears Steve DiGiorgio's unique fretless bass seal.

Wit ha line-up like that, it is no wonder that every single tune on the album is a pleasure to listen to - especially if you are into power-thrash with lots of melody and lots of aggression (and a couple of really fast blastbeats) and an overall progressive approach. At times, I am reminded of Death when I listen to the album. I do not know if that is a coincidence or if Charred Walls of the Damned are deliberately saluting Chuck Schuldiner, but this just means that the album is likely to appeal to fans of Death and Control Denied, too.

"Cold Winds on Timeless Days" is melodic, aggressive, catchy, progressive, technical, challenging, and awesome. It is simply a pleasure to listen to and recommended to all fans of prog/tech thrash metal.