DISTANT PAST
“The Final Stage”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Distant Past are a heavy metal band from Switzerland formed in 2002, releasing a couple of demos – ‘Science Reality’ (2003), and ‘Extraordinary Indication Of Unnatural Perception (2005) – before the bands debut album ‘Alpha Draconis’ emerged in 2010. Two more albums followed in quick succession – ‘Utopian Void’ (2014), and ‘Rise Of The Fallen’ (2016) – with the bands fourth album ‘The Final Stage’ a 2021 release.

Undergoing a radical line-up change since the release of ‘Rise Of The Fallen’, founding member Adriano Troiano, and vocalist Jvo Julmy recruited three new members. The bands fourth album ‘The Final Stage’ is pure heavy metal, harking back to a time when bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were still shaping the heavy metal sound. Distant Past sound hungry and eager, every song on offer head bang-able and one hundred percent addictive. Ten songs storm by in a little over forty minutes, with the album sprinting into life with the blazing ‘Kill The Dragon’. Good old school heavy metal greets the ears as ‘Kill The Dragon’ gets into its stride, and a faint hint of British NWOBHM legends, and pioneers, Angel Witch fills the air. For anyone who wants to “learn” where the NWOBHM evolution began, Angel Witch’s self titled 1980 debut is THE place to start.

Distant Past may be from Switzerland, but they have taken the traditional, and very British, style of heavy metal to heart. ‘Staring At The Stars’ continuing the old school flavour, injecting a more melodic feel, and bringing to the fore a catchy sing a long style chorus. And I reckon ‘Staring At The Stars’ will go down an absolute storm in a live arena. The band beef things up a bit, with the heavy hitting and punchy ‘Queen Of Sin’ – with an in concert audience screaming “queen of sin” as loud as they can over the chorus chant. Kudos Distant Past for not becoming a “modern metal” band, and forgetting the rules of how to deliver traditional heavy metal. With no let up in pace, energy, or intensity, ‘Fall From Glory’ ploughs on with a massive melodic edge, reaching out to the power metal, and hard rock genres as it swaggers on by. A ringing phone and the exasperated exclamation of “there is no phone ringing, dammit!” introduces ‘I Am Omega’ – a punchy and fast paced good ol’ slab of heavy metal. The highly addictive “foot on the monitor” gallop is in full flight as ‘I Am Omega’ glides past. And half way through the album now with no sign of a break to draw breath…

…’The Power Of Evil’ storming out of the speakers like a souped-up Judas Priest classic. The blend of power metal with the traditional style is a glorious blend, and one that Distant Past are very good at. The infectious nature of ‘The Power Of Evil’ is immense, with the sing a long ability of the chorus off the scale. The title song ‘The Final Stage’ twangs into life and is actually a one minute instrumental come spoken word intro for the thundering ‘Dawn City’. The fastest song heard so far, ‘Dawn City’ is rampant, crushing all that stands before it, leaving only devastation in its wake. And yet it still has that x-factor of an infectious chorus that Distant Past are so fucking good at! To not be addicted to ‘The Final Stage’ (album) probably means you’re dead. But for those of us who are alive, raise your horns high and salute the Motorhead influenced ‘World Of Wires’. And when I say Motorhead influenced, I mean the injection of the punk metal style that Lemmy (R.I.P.) and co. delighted the world with for forty years. ‘Path Of Fate’ brings the curtain down on a bombastic and hugely energetic romp of heavy metal, by slowing the pace down to a slumbering foot stomp. Still full of energetic fizz and melodic mastery, ‘Path Of Fate’ brings a thumping end to a very good album.

Overall, a full on and energetic gallop of infectious traditional heavy metal.

TRACKLIST

Kill The Dragon
Staring At The Stars
Queen Of Sin
Fall From Glory
I Am Omega
The Power Of Evil
The Final Stage
Dawn City
World Of Wires
Path Of Fate

http://www.distant-past.ch/
https://www.facebook.com/DISTANT-PAST-118966528115058

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