WHITE SKULL
“WILL OF THE STRONG”
Album Review By Iron Mathew

9/10

White Skull are a heavy metal band from Italy formed in 1988, releasing two demos before their debut album emerged in 1995. The bands original singer left the band in 2001, and over the subsequent eight years, more line-up changes occurred including another change of singer. In 2010, the bands original singer returned and the band grew stronger and even after nearly thirty years, White Skull are still a major force in the heavy metal arena. The bands tenth studio album, ‘Will Of The Strong’ was released in 2017.

Building the atmosphere, ‘Endless Rage’ is a crescendo of anticipation that leads into the furious rage that is ‘Holy Warrior’. Bustling with energy and passion, ‘Holy Warrior’ is a foot stompingly addictive rocket powered blast. As the years have progressed, White Skull have developed a much heavier sound than their early albums, with this new one a definite and pure heavy metal effort. Picking up the pace, ‘Grace O’Malley’ is rampant and has the sound of classic and traditional heavy metal. The twin guitar sound blended with keyboards and galloping rhythms…this is sparkling stuff. The title song ‘Will Of The Strong’ increases the pace once more and is a cracking example of the speed metal genre. A pulsating pace is set with head banging of the furious nature to test those neck muscles…

The scorching pace as ‘Lady Of Hope’ opens is blended with a slower, melodic foot stomp. The varying pace of ‘Lady Of Hope’ works very well and will have heads banging hard and feet stomping harder. With an intensity increase, ‘I Am Your Queen’ is a very heavy mid tempo romp. The vocal delivery turns a little sinister, the chorus is full of sing a long ability and ‘I Am Your Queen’ trundles along nicely. ‘Hope Has Wings’ increases the pace once again and is a blistering blaze of riffing and drums. This album is turning in a good performance, delivering power metal fused with the classic sound of traditional heavy metal. Opening with the sound of tribal chanting, ‘Metal Indian’ is an anthemic foot stomp of rumbling thunder and a very catchy chorus. A dramatic turn of speed mid song will find all heads banging furiously at the scorching pace, guitars screaming as the metal assault flies by in a flash.

Introducing elements of the melodic, ‘Shieldmaiden’ is sharp edged and hard hitting with a massive injection of infectiousness that will have you smiling from ear to ear. All songs on the new album have been immediate and catchy, exciting the senses to give the listener an aural delight. Suddenly though, all pace and power disappear to be replaced with a mellow and acoustic fuelled song, ‘Sacrifice’. With an uncanny resemblance to some of the power ballads by German singer Doro Pesch, ‘Sacrifice’ is full of power and emotion as it swaggers to an end. Buzzing guitars hail the intro for ‘Lay Over’. More progressive than anything else on the album, ‘Lay Over’ takes on a much blunter and in your face attitude, showing the band are not afraid to stretch their musical boundaries. The album is brought to a close with the bustling and catchy ‘Warrior Spirit’. Thundering along at pace, ‘Warrior Spirit’ is a swashbuckling end to a very good album.

Overall, power metal blended with the traditional heavy metal sound creating catchy and infectious songs that will be absorbed by metal heads the world over.

TRACKLIST

Endless Rage
Holy Warrior
Grace O’Malley
Will Of The Strong
Lady Of Hope
I Am Your Queen
Hope Has Wings
Metal Indian
Shieldmaiden
Sacrifice
Lay Over
Warrior Spirit

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