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WAR DOGS
Only The Stars Are Left

Fighter (2024)
Rating: 8/10

The return after four years of Spanish traditional metal act War Dogs will be welcomed by many because the 2020 debut album Die By My Sword was so highly regarded. With a cover painting by Russian artist Victor Vasnetsov, Only The Stars Are Left is a wistful slice of antique sounding metal boasting echoes like it was plucked from 1985.

The mix of the crisp guitars and vocal commands almost give this opus a Scandinavian vibe as unintentional wisps of doom emanate from the oaken contours. Due to the organic nature, there is an earthy New Wave Of British Heavy Metal vibe lurking beneath the chainmail as the combo produces fluid rhythms that run like silver streams through glistening fjords.

Maybe it’s the nostalgic air of yesteryear which appeals here as the album gallops with a spiritual fluidity and nonchalance as brisk passages entwine with slower segments, both driven by guitarist Edu Antón whose most effective solo work can very appreciated on closer ‘The Vengeance Of Ryosuke Taiwara’. Vocalist Alberto Rodríguez is exceptional at those lower tones which erupt from his gut on rocker ‘The Prosecution’ which gets going after a brief acoustic introduction.

The band keeps the energy up throughout the album but without any need for Euro speed. Instead, there is a warmth that’s given extra cosy padding by a smattering of audio samples and narrated injections. War Dogs just have that feel, some sort of chemistry which enables them to breeze through a NWOBHM style adventure. The title track is a nostalgic gallop that nods towards the epic sounds of Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol as José V. Aldeguer’s drums pound with pride.

At their steeliest, War Dogs produce the emphatic ‘Riders Of The Storm’, a fiery and grandiose pilgrimage to epic heavy metal. “The blood has been spilled, no place on Earth remains clean,” bemoans Rodríguez to the race of his own sturdy axe. “The world was green but it’s been reaped, the body rots and so does your soul,” he booms. These are the sort of yarns one wants to hear with this sort of heavy music.

‘Astral Queen’ is another example of the aggression the quartet can bring as War Dogs spew a raging power metal branding. It’s hard to argue with such metallic fury as ‘Fallen Angel’ chugs with a menace before spilling into the more traditional chords of ‘Vendetta’. There’s so much wholesome goodness to savour here, so if you’ve not been on board before then let War Dogs be your new favourite clan.

Neil Arnold

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