The Tide Turns
Having begun life as Merciless Fail in 2009, this heavy metal quintet crawled out of an Essex gutter to rise to heights of Bloodstock proportions, playing the festival's New Blood stage in 2012 before starting anew in 2013 under a brand new moniker. Carving their continued path in a certain obsidian-tinted shade, Forged in Black re-released their previous incarnation's debut album and have been flying the NWOBHM flag enthusiastically ever since.
The press release cunningly markets them as a band 'for fans of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath' (might as well maintain wide appeal) and true to these words, Forged In Black deliver excellent traditional heavy metal tunes complete with a distinct modern tint that would make Grand Magus proud.
There is but a single fully-produced song on offer here, yet it's almost certainly the band's finest moment to-date; the combination of strong instrumentation, frontman Chris Storozynski's fantastically diverse vocal range and great songwriting means that The Exodus will surely be lapped up by anybody who likes their metal old school and their songs evoking the late, great Ronnie James Dio.
There are moments when the band attempt a heavier, more thrash metal sound with added growled vocals, but the end product unfortunately becomes watered-down and ineffective amidst their much stronger, more traditional heavy metal identity. The Exodus however is a huge song, and with any luck a sign of equally huge things to come. The B-sides here are sadly just demo recordings from previous releases, so even the prevailing strength of songwriting on Accusations Of The Innocent and Forged In Black only serves to further reinforce how effective a step up in production can be for a band like Forged In Black. With significant achievements already under their belt, here's hoping they continue to hone their sound and make 2015 their year.