Review: Skelator – Agents of Power
Nov 23
Skelator – Agents of Power
I will always admit to having a whole-hearted fondness for any modern band that is able to capture and channel the raw unchained energy and ass-kicking metal assault first unleashed by the speed/power/NWOBHM bands of days gone by without existing merely as a contrived tribute act. Which is why it’s always a more than pleasant experience to not only come across such bands, but to find them in my own neck of the woods. Skelator have been banging heads and calling to the elder gods of metal for more than a decade now, starting with their roots in San Diego playing their own brand of early thrash infused garage metal, they eventually relocated to the Emerald City, Seattle, and evolved a more refined (but not ‘produced’) style that beckoned to the classic pioneers of speed and power roof rattlers. This has culminated so far into the classic metal epic ‘Agents of Power’ album released earlier this year.
The first four songs on this newest effort by the Seattle band are a study in everything that made British flavored heavy metal the driving force of a music revolution, breakneck tempos, big wide open power chords, and sailing chorus’s that demand singing along to with an obligatorily raised fist. The titular namesake of the album starts things off right, with a distinct pre-thrash feel that sets the mood for the rest of the journey, and also acts as a good introduction to the impressive vocal abilities of the band’s frontman, Jason Conde-Houston, who at times sounds like a bastard lovechild spawned between Rob Halford and Geoff Tate. Gates of Thorbardin follows to open things up a bit, offering a slower and much more expansive structure, with the epic war-ballad feel of a classic Dio track. This is further expanded with Dream Dictator, an up tempo rocker with some impressive lead work on the guitars, and devolves into slower instrumental bits with big sound, large rhythm chords with wailing and melodic leads, only to kicks right back into high gear on a dime with a headbanging tempo, making for a well rounded song. After Rhythm of the Chain, a meaty fist pumper that would make a great Priest-esque biker anthem, the album then begins its main feature, a 40 minute 12-part epic titled “Elric: The Dragon Prince”, in the true vein of classic power metal.
This concept piece covers the whole map of classic metal, from wrist wringing guitar riffing, powerful vocal wails, fanciful instrumental interludes, and of course, epicly sweeping ballads. The ‘Elric’ suite could easily stand on its own as a release unto itself, but also given the four preceding take-no-prisoners tracks that start the album, this is easily the band’s most respectable release to date. In regards to what they are trying to do with their sound, they are doing everything right, even down to the level of production, which sounds appropriately late ‘70’s to early ‘80’s, and they do this with their own flavor, never sounding too contrived or forced. The only complaint a modern metal fan might have would be the almost cliched fantasy subject and lyrical content, topped off with album cover art that would look equally qualified for a Drizzt novel, but chances are if you like this music that you eat that shit up too. All in all, this is a great release and it’s good to see a modern band carrying on a torch that sometimes is left to burn out in a modernized genre, so if you want to see how epic hell raising was done in the days when metal still sported its bloodied placenta with pride, check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
9/10
http://www.trueskelator.com/
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