Worshipping the eighties in an inspired way - A review of Stallion's Slaves of Time

Stallion is a German quintet that celebrates classic heavy metal of the eighties on its third studio record Slaves of Time. Its mixture of heavy, speed and thrash metal is truly energetic and in the spirit of the golden era of said genres. The youngsters already sound like experienced veterans with tight rhythm section, energetic guitar play, diversified vocals and appropriate production for the instrumental work.

Especially the vocals are noteworthy, sounding like a mixture of Judas Priest's Rob Halford and King Diamond in the late eighties and early nineties. Highlights include the pitiless ''No Mercy'' with its energetic gang shouts and variable vocals that could even appeal to extreme metal fans thanks to their pitiless delivery. ''Time to Reload'' shows the band's more melodic side and has obvious hard rock influences in the key of AC/DC without sounding too bland, conservative and predictable thanks to excellent guitar play and emotive vocals. ''Die with Me'' clocks in at seven minutes and turns out to be a haunting power ballad that could come from Accept in its best years.

This very good album however has a few flaws as well. First of all, the heavily nostalgic songwriting is at times quite predictable and missing an own note to offer a creative take on the genres it worships with so much passion. The second and most important flaw is the echoing effect on the lead vocals that gets rather nerve-firing after a while. While the instruments sound precise, organic and dynamic, the vocals seem to have been recorded in a cave. Perhaps the band wanted to give the album a unique sound or add some underground production value with this but the combination of the excellent instrumental sound and the flawed vocal mastering is an odd mismatch.

In the end, Stallion's appropriately titled Slaves of Time is a feast for fans of hard rock, heavy metal and thrash metal of the late eighties and early nineties. Instead of spinning the classics by Accept, Judas Priest, King Diamond, Running Wild and W.A.S.P., you should give these five motivated German youngsters a chance. They certainly don't reinvent the genres they are worshipping but especially the charismatic vocals and excellent guitar play elevate this record above so many exchangeable heavy metal revival groups around the world these days.

Final rating: 75%