Austria’s finest
Austria’s finest Liquid Steel are back with their first album in five years, and it is most definitely worth the wait.
Following up 2016’s Midnight Chaser, Mountain of Madness is another example of classic metal at its absolute best.
Formed in 2009 the line-up has been constant since the recording of their debut, Fire in the Sky. We have Julle and Ferdl on guitars, Fabio on vocals, Martin bashing the skins and Dominik hammering bass. Collectively they have this metal malarkey well and truly sorted.
Art
Once again the cover art is a feast for the eyes. Artist Emanuel Pichler has taken inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s work of the same name as the album to create a work itself worth buying the album for. If you have any doubt that this is a metal album it is dispelled by the first look at the cover.
Liquid Steel have delivered a class album with all the metal tropes we know and love. Ripping riffs, quality solos and tales both fantastical and historical.
From the get-go and “Traveller in Time” the riffs are in your face, fast and gut-puncing. The track is inspired by H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine”. The solo is also a thing of beauty and fortunately not alone on the record.
Warrior
Other topics tackled on Mountain of Madness are taking your chances and risk on “Victim of the Night” plus the tale of a 5000-year-old Neolithic mummy on “Alpine Warrior”. There are also medieval crusades on “Thunder and Lightning” and the title track revolving around the aforementioned H.P. Lovecraft novella.
“Alpine Warrior” flirts with ‘epic’ territory and is a real treat. With doomy threatening spoken lyrics the atmosphere and depth are layered beautifully. It still has crunching riffs, thumping drums and is all metal.
It is almost impossible to pick highlights because there is no filler on this album and every single track has something to offer even the most critical metal head.
Killer
Mountain of Madness is a fist-pumping, headbanging, air-guitaring stone-cold killer. If you like your metal traditional with a fair helping of New Wave of British Heavy Metal then Liquid Steel will be your new favourite band.
The album is out May 22, 2021 on Metalizer Records, buy it, it’s a winner.
Buy: Mountain of Madness
Furthermore, check out my other articles and reviews here – Sparky
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