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WANTON ATTACK
Brinnande Jord

No Remorse / Golden Core (2025)
Rating: 7/10

Four years after their self-titled debut full-length offering, Swedish metalheads Wanton Attack come once again striding confidently across the pastures like a proud army of knights. With Brinnande Jord, members Niklas Holm (guitar and bass) and Micael Zetterberg (vocals and drums) have assembled another collection of cocksure heavy metal songs which effortlessly glide and glint like a wistful concoction of classic Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy.

The opening title track is fluid yet almost new wave and punky in its mischievous structure, the vocals as equally upbeat as the nifty rhythms which drift towards a brisk and breezy New Wave Of British Heavy Metal aesthetic. ‘As The Eagle Flies’ follows in similar fashion but with a dash of Mercyful Fate to colour the already pastoral canvas.

Effortlessly cavorting with an array of familiar designs, Wanton Attack’s sophomore slab provides many a melodic sweet spot, almost caressing the steel rather than holding with sweaty palms. ‘From The Seed To The Tree’ is speedy and airy, wafting nonchalantly like classic Helloween but without the cold edges and ‘Eternal’ is emphatically constructed, classic in design and smooth to the ears.

Elsewhere, ‘Man & Death’ edges towards a power metal drive although one polished with elegance, but then comes the curveball in the form of ‘To Tame A City’, a gritty and thrashy traipse with extra vocal fire before the exquisite chorus runs free. Meanwhile, ‘Son Of Sun’ is almost medieval in design as again the duo crafts simple yet joyful canters direct from the mid-80s Euro metal scene. Unlike the first album, this latest effort is loftier and lighter, further evidence of this being on the trotting ‘Villebråd’.

Even with its abundance of gallops, Brinnande Jord keeps the listener engaged because although rather safe and familiar, this is an album that is welcoming and misty-eyed due to its nostalgic pops of colour.

Neil Arnold

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