METALIAN – Beyond The Wall

Old School Metal From The Great White North

Hailing from Montréal, Canada, Metalian was formed in 2002 by vocalist/guitarist Ian Wilson and became known locally as “Canada’s answer to Judas Priest”. Beyond The Wall is Metalian’s 5th studio album, featuring guitarist Simon Costa, drummer Tony Cantara, and bassist Andres Arango to complete the lineup. The band continues to play their brand of Old School Heavy Metal, harkening back to the early days of the 1980s when the genre was still taking shape.

Gutsy & Raw

Metalian – Beyond The Wall was written during the pandemic, when meetings and reunions were forbidden. The album was rehearsed and written mostly by night at the band’s secret rehearsal room, working during the time when curfews were being enforced. Being known as a band that knocks out their recordings in less than a day, Metalian took a little more time in producing Beyond The Wall and spent 3 days in the studio crafting what is most likely their best effort to date.

The album features the high-pitched vocals of Ian Wilson, screaming in a high falsetto for the majority of the tracks. Dual guitar harmonies abound, creating that raw appeal of early Iron Maiden. The album should find a wider audience for the band with their signing to Temple of Mystery Records.

Final Notes

Beyond The Wall has a very rugged feel to it, creating a charm that reminds listeners of an older era of early metal. The songs are well arranged, and some of the guitar harmonies are quite haunting as on the track “Solar Winds”. Stand out tracks for this listener include the early Iron Maiden sounding “Last Chance to Ride”, and the energetic album closer “Dark City” with its almost Punk Rock style.

While the album is pretty rough around the edges, several of the tracks have enough charm to make it worth a listen. Knocking out an album in three days has its pluses and minuses, as capturing the band’s energy is on the plus side, and the over all production leaving a little room for improvement being the minus. Metalian – Beyond The Wall has a few gems on it making it an album that is worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of early 80s raw metal.

Lineup

Ian Wilson – Vocals
Simon Costa – guitar
Tony Cantara – drums
Andres Arango – bass

Beyond The Wall – Tracklist

01. March to the Death
02. Motorhorse
03. Fire on the Road
04. Last Chance to Ride
05. Solar Winds
06. Rise of the AI
07. Beyond the Wall
08. Behind the Lies
09. Cold Thunder
10. Dark City