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SHADOWKILLER
Guardians Of The Temple

Self-released (2018)
Rating: 8/10

When I first saw a picture of this heavy metal trio, I could have easily mistaken them for guys that play for the local darts team. Dive into Shadowkiller’s latest offering though, and you’ll be swept away by a tirade of pure metal treats.

Guardians Of The Temple is the third full-length record from this Northern California act, which spends its time with anthemic tales and robust rhythms fuelled by the colossal bass sound of Dan Lynch and the powerhouse vocal attack of Joe Liszt, who also provides guitar and is joined by drum lord Gary Neff.

What you get with this record is nine solid tracks of straight up metal that borders on power metal with expected tales of battles, mythology and the like. The sound, although rather polished, harkens back to the mid-to-late 80s in premise; stirring and grandiose structures nodding towards the likes of Armored Saint as thrashier flecks are employed to bolster driving songs such as the immense ‘1600’, which at seven minutes is an utterly compelling history lesson boasting majestic flurries and cold steel aggression.

As equally stirring and long is ‘The Last Templars’; this one begins with a fizzing guitar sound before the trio embarks on a progressive traipse featuring a strong bass and percussive backbone before the guys slip into a comfortable trudge.

For me, there’s a distinctive British feel throughout the record; Shadowkiller existing as a tight if somewhat humourless bunch capable of staggeringly brilliant brews of glinting metal vibes. Traces of Blind Guardian linger as do faint strains of, say, Crimson Glory although not necessarily as Gothic, but the cohesion of the troops is no real surprise as they’ve also spent time together as Ancient Empire. ‘Into The Blight’, like so many tracks on offer through the band’s catalogue, is so cutting edge, the instrumentation in general feeling modern and yet fully aware of metal’s seemingly eternal past.

Frontman Joe Liszt is certainly a force to be reckoned with. His tidy yet commanding strains rise in glorious fashion over a track such as ‘Bridge Of Souls’ which steadily builds – the track plush with stirring dynamics and that catchy chorus. It’s very much traditional metal, but pluck any tune from this opus, and you’ll become engrossed by endless lyrical tapestries of history and above all some truly hammering techniques as exhibited on the heroic title track and the soaring ‘The Garden Of Persephone’. Indeed, there’s a magical shimmer about the entire album; dark tales intertwined with visions of blood-shed and flaming arrows, all sewn together by some mesmerising musicianship.

This is summed up by the pummelling closer ‘Iron & Glass’ with its winding melodic strains, while elsewhere the evocative ‘Faces In the Firelight’ simmers with metal majesty, the formulas appearing simple yet mystically vintage and yet not dated. I speak in much praise when I describe Shadowkiller as mature metal, and from its excellent cover art to those welcoming Liszt vocals, one cannot help but become immersed in this ripping yarn.

Neil Arnold

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