Over the last few years, metal of all sub-genres has been doing something that I really love: rediscovering the joy of heavy metal. Now, this is a separate phenomenon than the heavy metal/traditional metal revival. This is not bands making heavy metal per se, but rather making death, black, thrash, progressive and more styles of metal that use heavy metal as their palette. Case in point: Hollowborn. These Florida based hellions are finally answering the question: "what if Morbid Angel had listened to way more Iron Maiden?" The cool thing is that What the Land Reclaims, the project's debut, goes much further than "just" that schtick; it's an album full of great death metal, heavy metal influences aside. But then you add galloping riffs, flamboyant solos, and an overall fantastic tinge to it, and you've got a truly outstanding release.
Considering the diversity I mentioned above, I could point you towards many points in the album. If you just hit play, you'll find the opening trio of tracks to be really good death metal. But if you do the opposite and flip on over to "March of Eothas I: Souls of Caed Nua" (oh yeah, this album is also Pillars of Eternity inspired) you'll get a taste of the true beauty of this album. The track opens with this beautiful galloping riff with powerful and evocative chords that would not be out of place on a Fellowship album (high praise indeed). But then there's a classic death metal ough and the track explodes into an absolute shred of a riff. Later on, the heavy metal returns in the form of many (no, I said many) melodic solos which build on the initial energies of the track and allow them to unfurl into a true celebration of metal's might.
As I mentioned, there is a lot more on this album. But for me, that love and passion for heavy metal immediately won me over. Listen, it really doesn't matter how may years pass from the first time I heard Killers or how many times I've sung "Painkiller" at a bar or how many nights I've spent burning away the midnight oil by playing Somewhere Far Beyond on repeat. Heavy/power metal will still always be my first flame and the thing which moves my the heart most. And when you take that passion and you marry it with the other (excellent, beloved, amazing) styles of metal that have come forth since metal's beacon was first lit, you get something truly special. That's what Hollowborn's When the Land Reclaims is: a true joy for any fan of heavy metal.
Heavy metal will never die!