Four years of silence have passed since the release of 2003’s “Let Battle Commence” album, and the Italian epic metallers Doomsword, return with their 4th full-length album, “My Name Will Live On”. The year 2007, found Doomsword with two changes in line-up, in the positions of lead guitarist and bassist.
After listening the new album, someone who has heard the past releases of the group, can easily notice a little bit different direction to their sound. In many songs, the speeds are higher than the past, with a less doom vibe on the mood and many staccato riffs. Despite that these changes are very clear, the basic components of the identity of the group are still here. The well-known early Manowar-meets-Bathory, style of the group is the dominant element of the songs. Both riffs and lead parts are perfect and full with epic feeling. All the songs are in the same level of quality, with result the listener’s interest to be maintained unimpaired, from the first, until the last moment of the album. We can hear majestic and “marching” themes, which in combination with some battle samples, are transferring the listener straight to the battlefield and it’s not an exaggeration to say that sometimes this fact is giving an intense war soundtrack character to the music of the group. Another element that is effective for the music is the plenty of catchy melodies and refrains, which helps the assimilation of the songs from the very first hearing of the album.
Concluding, Doomsword created an excellent album, which according the opinion of this article’s writer, stands into the 10 best albums of this year so far. This is an album that offers many moments of thrilling to the listeners and I hope and wish, to become the vehicle for a breakthrough into a bigger audience, for a band that composes music with the heart and following some values that have eclipsed in many metal groups of our days.
“OUR FATE IS WRITTEN, SWORD AND SHIELD: BORN TO DIE ON THE BATTLEFIELD”.
P.S.: The band has the rule to use as a title of every new album, a song-title from their last album. So, the new album’s title, “My Name Will Live On”, is the title of the 7th song of their last album. Following this habit of the group, despite that it’s too early for such a prediction, “Hall Of Music” wants to predict the title of Doomsword’s forthcoming album. Our choice is the new album’s 8th song-title, “Once Glorious”.
DOOMSWORD discography:
(1999) Doomsword
(2002) Resound The Horn
(2003) Let
(2007) My Name Will Live On
for more info: i) www.doomsword.it
ii) http://www.myspace.com/officialdoomsword
