BLAZON RITE
“Wild Rites And Ancient Songs”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Blazon Rite are a heavy metal band from the USA, releasing their debut E.P. ‘Dulce Bellum Inexpertis’ in 2020, debut full length album ‘Endless Halls Of Golden Totem’ in 2021, and sophomore album ‘Wild Rites And Ancient Songs’ in 2023…

…featuring seven songs in just thirty six minutes! The fallout from the bands debut was very good, Blazon Rite following the traditional heavy metal path with twin guitars, galloping rhythms and a rousing “foot on the monitor” stance. The new album builds on what ‘Endless Halls Of Golden Totem’ achieved – a much heavier sound, yet with just as much melodious intent. Bringing the album to life, ‘Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom’ is straight into the old school groove, delivering a head bang-able aura that’s gonna wake up every metalhead and mosh pit from around the world! The band have brought to the present day a four decade old sound and added extra punch – ‘Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom’ a head turning opening that engages the listener, exciting their aural senses in anticipation of what is to come.

And what is to come, is the pounding ‘Salvage What You Can Of The Night’ – a cracking old school romp that would be at home during the early eighties when bands such as Angel Witch, Samson and Saxon where defining a new metal sound! A sound that is widely recognised as one of the best sounds in the world – every metalhead nodding their head in total agreement! The band are over four thousand miles away from the UK, but are very much delivering a British metal sound, with just a slight hint of the muscular American style. Slowing the pace down, Blazon Rite enter anthemic hymn-like territory for ‘The Fall Of A Once Great House’, and a more tension fuelled atmosphere than the albums opening brace. And at over six minutes in length, ‘The Fall Of A Once Great House’ is the longest song on offer, changing gears at two and half minutes in to become a thundering slice of head bang-able heavy metal. The band are driving home a sound that every metal traditionalist will love, the album storming on with the fastest song heard so far, ‘Mark Of The Stormborn Raiders’. Roaring like a lion, the band are at full tilt here, banging heads faster than ever, ‘Mark Of The Stormborn Raiders’ a glorious gallop of all out traditional heavy metal.

Mellowness and serenity descend upon the album as the title song ‘Wild Rites And Ancient Songs’ gets underway, building steadily to a crescendo, launching into a mid tempo fury of Black Sabbath-like riffery – but in a lighter mood! The pace continues to increase until ‘Wild Rites And Ancient Songs’ (the song) becomes a blistering cacophony of head bang ability! Showing some incredible speed, Blazon Rite are smoking hot, scorching the Earth and leaving only desolation in their wake! Remaining in full flight, the band race on with ‘Troubadours Of The Final Quarrel’ setting new land speed records as it hurtles on, every single metalhead and mosh pit turning frenzied – heads rocking back and forth at an extremely high rate! Blazon Rite bring their sophomore album to a close with ‘The Coming Tide Of Yule’ an entertaining and up tempo, fast paced romp of gear changes and mood swings! The amount of times the pace changes is incredible, the band weaving this way and that, keeping the listener on their toes as to which way ‘The Coming Tide Of Yule’ will turn next.

Overall, a glorious gallop of traditional heavy metal, Blazon Rite deliver a head bang-able and highly addictive album.

TRACKLIST

Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom
Salvage What You Can Of The Night
The Fall Of A Once Great House
Mark Of The Stormborn Raiders
Wild Rites And Ancient Songs
Troubadours Of The Final Quarrel
The Coming Tide Of Yule

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