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FORGED IN BLACK
Lightning In The Ashes

Fighter (2023)
Rating: 8/10

This Southend, Essex-based band is certainly no stranger to the scene, having first emerged in 2007 under the moniker Merciless Fail. Ten years ago Forged In Black released their self-titled debut full-length album, and It would take another six years for the follow up, Descent Of The Serpent, to emerge, although in-between the UK rockers issued four EPs.

With its fiery cover art this latest ten track platter serves its purpose as a strong heavy metal outing. Very much dominated by the bass of Kieron Rochester, Lightning In The Ashes is an album that likes to throw in a few different angles within its steely framework. Occasionally the record springs doomy segments, and then there are those thrashy elements. The album offers up bombastic traditional metal structures, although there is also a veering towards scowling aggression.

The title track showcases the vocal versatility of Chris “Stoz” Storozynski, a commanding presence throughout as his style alters from a high pitched Rob Halford (Judas Priest) wail to a more low end boom dripping with moroseness. The tracks are extremely varied; ‘War Torn Skull’ boasts thrashy dynamics, ‘Dusk Breather’ begins with a lumbering menace then sets out on a grandiose mid-tempo metal slope, ‘Brother’s Keeper’ alternates between tones and is groove-based, while my favourite brace of cuts, ‘Hellucinator’ and ‘Detonation Ritual’, are thrash and power metal respectively.

Yes, Lightning In The Ashes is a slightly unorthodox mish-mash that could prove to be an acquired taste for some, but the fact that Forged In Black is able to shift through styles as well as gears is testament to their talent.

Neil Arnold

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