NEW HORIZON
“Conquerors”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

New Horizon are a power metal band from Sweden founded in 2021 by multi-instrumentalist Jona Tee and vocalist Erik Gronwall – the latter moving on to join legendary American metallers Skid Row. New Horizon’s debut album ‘Gate Of The Gods’ was released in 2022, featuring a number of guest musicians – guitarists Sam Totman (DragonForce), Love Magnusson (Dynazty), Niko Vuorela (Temple Balls) and Laucha Figueroa, and drummer Robban Beck alongside founders Tee and Gronwall. For the bands new album, Tee recruited Dynazty singer Nils Molin (Amaranthe), and just like its predecessor, ‘Conquerors’ once again features a host of guest musicians – the returning Magnusson and Figueroa, drummer Georg Harnsten Egg (Dynazty), guitarist Daniel Johansson, and vocalist Elize Ryd (Amaranthe). And loaded with more energy, power, and a heavier attitude than the bands debut, New Horizon delivers ten songs across fifty two minutes of power metal purity…

…including a barnstorming Iron Maiden cover – more on that later! For right here, right now, ‘Conquerors’ explodes into life with the fiercely fast paced ‘Against The Odds’ – but only after a forty second crescendo building and tension fuelled intro! The pace and power here is phenomenal, the band roaring down the motorvag at tremendous speed, vigorously rocking the heads back and forth of every single listener around the world – talk about a sit up and take notice opener! Simply sensational – ‘King Of Kings’ strolling in with a massive hymn-like swagger, and then boom! New Horizon turn thunderous, the band shuddering the ground with immense force as the sound of heavy, power metal pours outta ‘King Of Kings’, a meld of Beast In Black, Iron Savior and Metalite rising high in the air! Along with clenched fists too, for the opening double has been nothing short of breath taking! And fuck me, make that an opening treble – ‘Daimyo’ marching in with more thunder and oomph than either of the two previous songs combined! And at a mid pace too, the foot stomping nature of ‘Daimyo’ gloriously satisfying and adrenalin pumping – New Horizon delivering an Album Of The Year performance! And we’re only three songs in!

And oh my fucking God! How much better can this album get? Loads more – ‘Shadow Warrior’ entering the fray with an even greater level of power and oomph! Yes readers, greater! The Swedish outfit are performing at the top of their game, battering everyone with some of the finest power metal I’ve heard all year – and I’ve heard a lot! ‘Shadow Warrior’ maintains a sky high intensity level that began with song one – not to mention the immense head bang ability! And with the six minutes plus ‘Apollo’ making one helluva majestic entrance, the elegance right now has just shot through the roof – New Horizon striding tall with shoulders back and head held high! The first half of ‘Conquerors’ has been sensational, can the second half be any better? You bet your fucking arse it can – ‘Fallout War’ picking up the power metal baton and sprinting off at high velocity! The pace, power and purpose here is out of this world, New Horizon roaring louder than ever to deliver a fantastic head bang-able hurrah! I hope you’re all fitter than I am ’cause I’m outta breath the albums been so exhilarating – just gimme a moment!

Right – let’s go! ‘Messenger Of The Stars’ bustles into sight, adopting a mighty melodic metal march as it gets going proper, the intensity level remaining unbroken! ‘Conquerors’ has been foot to the floor since it began, New Horizon storming through every song heard so far with unforgiving relentlessness – nothing and no-one having the ability to stop them! And let’s be honest, when the metal is this fucking good, why stop ’em! I’m not gonna – gimme more New Horizon, gimme more! And more they do, ‘Before The Dawn’ opening with a hymn-like swagger that takes majesty and elegance to new heights, even a little balladry is present too! The reined in power is palpable, the band doing a great job of holding it all in – and the presence of female vocals plants a different slant on the bands sound. Moving front and centre with a massive hustle and bustle feel, ‘Edge Of Insanity’ is loaded with bludgeoning riffs and ground shuddering drums – the intensity level taking a sharp upward turn as the band continue pounding, pummelling and pleasuring every sense in the human body! And I mean every sense!

And now for the albums sensational show stopping finale – a superb cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Alexander The Great (356-323 B.C.)’ (taken from the bands 1986 ‘Somewhere In Time’ album). I was sixteen in ’86 when ‘Maiden released ‘Somewhere In Time’ – and boy did ‘Alexander The Great (356-323 B.C.)’ stand out as one of the greatest longer epics the band has ever written – ‘Maiden going on to write even greater ones! And New Horizon’s cover is simply stunning – not only do the band keep pace with the original, but methinks they’ve actually increased the levels of majesty and elegance! Unbelievable I know, but the feeling I’m getting while listening to this version is indescribable, New Horizon have, quite possibly, bettered the original!

Overall, a sensational album of foot to the floor power metal with immense head bang ability and a sky high infectious level.

TRACKLIST

Against The Odds
King Of Kings
Daimyo
Shadow Warrior
Apollo
Fallout War
Messenger Of The Stars
Before The Dawn
Edge Of Insanity
Alexander The Great (356 – 323 B.C.) (Iron Maiden cover)

https://newhorizon.se/
https://www.facebook.com/newhorizonworld

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