Cold winds on timeless days --- Charred Walls of the Damned --- 2011 (Metal Blade)
Now
there's an album title and band name that belongs right up there with the greats! The brainchild of ex-Iced Earth's Richard Christy, “Cold winds on timeless days” is the second album from this kind of spinoff from that band, with their former vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens also involved. The name of the band, it appears, came from a phrase used by the host of one of those fundamental Christian radio stations, on whom the guys had played a telephone prank; it's a reference to Hell, of course, as seen by the Moral Right, a place where the ungodly will apparently be putting their “nails in the charred walls of the damned”. Nice.
It starts off with deceptive laidback guitar before the title track, as such --- it's actually titled “Timeless days”--- kicks in with exploding guitar solos and stomping drums, Owens' vocals cutting through the cacophony with the power of Dickinson and Dio combined. There's great melody though, and it's clear this is no hastily-thrown-together project, all musicians complementing each other and melding together almost as one as Steve DiGeorgio lays down solid basslines alongside Jason Suecof's burning guitar, Christy's pounding drums hammering out the rhythm as the song, actually the longest on the album, goes along. It's followed by “Ashes falling upon us”, another fast pounder, with a real anthemic chorus --- I can imagine this going over well live. Great guitar solo from Suecof, like the metal gods of old. Don't hear that too often these days.
This album is odd in that it really has
two title tracks: there's “Timeless days”, as already mentioned, and then you get “Cold winds”, so either could lay claim to being the title track. Good stuff, but nothing is really standing head and shoulders above the rest yet, marking itself out as truly great. “Lead the way” is a lot faster than previous tracks, veering close to speed metal territory, with a pretty dramatic feel about it --- speed metal opera? “Guiding me” is also a decent song, but so far I'm waiting in vain for anything
special, something that lifts this album out of the ranks of the ordinary and makes it something more than just another metal outing.
Okay, for just a minute “The beast outside my window” sounded like it might have been the track I was waiting for. Started with nice acoustic guitar intro and seemed like despite the title it might have been a slow song, but then kicked into high gear and became another more-or-less-indistinguishable from the rest. Ah well. “Bloodworm” has some nice ideas and an interesting melody; probably qualifies as the best track so far, though to be fair that's a pretty short list, sadly.
And that's about it really. The closer, “Avoid the light”, comes and goes without making any real impression on me, and the album is over, having had a similar lack of effect. A real pity, as I had hoped this would be a great album. But I guess sometimes a great name and title and a decent pedigree doesn't necessarily guarantee that the product is going to live up to that promise. Not a bad album,
per se, just nothing special. I wouldn't say avoid it like the plague, just as I wouldn't advise anyone to rush out and buy it.
TRACKLISTING
1. Timeless days
2. Ashes falling upon us
3. Zerospan
4. Cold winds
5. Lead the way
6. Forever marching on
7. Guiding me
8. The beast outside my window
9. On unclean ground
10. Bloodworm
11. Admire the heroes
12. Avoid the light