Curse of Ice

The production values aren't the highest, the vocals aren't the best but damn did it do something for me. This provided me with that invaluable, surging joy that absolutely makes or breaks an album for anyone who's devoted to their music.

Driving rhythms, clever pace changes, skilled instrumentation... it's fresh out of the glory days of NWOBHM.

This is one awesome, powerful, dynamic sounding, heavy metal band and album, that really kicks ass. Great sounding tracks, full of energy and a lead singer that gives his heart and soul to this brilliant music. Good lyrics, that makes it stand out even more. Love the drummer, guitarist. I can fully understand why so many have download this album, since 2006..

Exciting, emotive and complex, but as with a lot of speed and thrash metal, it spends a lot of complexity in one riff then simply repeats that riff for a while and the emotion is difficult to unlock amongst a film of rhythmic repetition within each riff. Also, I can hear the plectrum hitting the bass guitar.

Nonetheless, the vocals are passionate, there is variation when you have unlocked it and the bass has something to say.

Weirdland have put soul into this album - you can feel it as you listen to the energetic guitar solos and the throbbing bass - but a lot of the time the vocalist sounds like he's trying too hard. A pleasant album to listen to, definitely, but certainly not a groundbreaker. Still, the album manages to make me want to bop along.

'Vallhalla for Reward' especially has a good beat and steady guitar work. I doubt there is anyone who can listen to this album and say that overall it was bad, that would be a lie.

You've gotta love good old-fashioned heavy metal. No matter how evil a gloomy, death-growling doom metal band may sound, there's just no substitute for the old masters like Maiden, Priest and Sabbath.

On "Curse of Ice", I do hear a lot of Iron Maiden's technique, Judas Priest's agression and Black Sabbath's imagery in the music and lyrics, especially on the extremely well-written "Valhalla For Reward", with a few of Dream Theater's chops thrown in for good measure. A good set of songs and a performance to match.

Its only down side is the production - it needs a bit more bass on the guitar riffs to fill out the sound and give it that bit of extra menace. The bass guitar needs the same treatment and also bought a bit further forward in the mix - expecially during the guitar solos where the bass is needed more than ever to provide some extra bottom-end. Take Motörhead for example - with only one guitarist, during the guitar breaks, Lemmy's bass is still up front and causing serious speaker damage.

On the whole, it is good to hear some good honest metal and, despite the thin sound, it shows a lot of promise and I do recommend it for anyone who loves the old metal masters.