HEROD – The Curse Of The King

Does Herod present the answer to whom who was concerned about the continuing revival of American Power/Thrash Metal? With North America’s oldest groups such as Conquest , Vicious Rumors and Helstar (two of the three are semi-comeback acts), Herod stands tall as a stalwart in the US scene as the modern version of these bands plus extras.

It’s very surprising to hear that Herod, on their first steps back in 1999, weren’t even close to being in the same league as the mentioned giants, not musically of course. Herod began as a Melodic Metalcore band and over the years, came down to be the modern version of the American Power/Heavy/Thrash Metal scene. With influences that range from Led Zeppelin through Iron Maiden to even Cannibal Corpse and Death, Herod presents itself as one of those interesting bands that really knows how to divert their Metal in the right way so it will touch every Metal listener.

Loaded with a striking smooth production, Curse Of The King runs as the band’s new EP and submission for 2009, under their new label Dark Harvest Records, after their last previous endeavor, Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s Fight in 2006. That particular album showed the band’s new jewel, the highly talented vocalist Jason Russo. On this new piece of music he keeps on revealing, for those of you who didn’t notice, why he is the suitable person to front this pack of wild yet classy dudes. When the guy follows through a clean stinging pattern of vocals and with decisive excellence drives in full throttle to maddening deathly growls, it’s nothing but a full-scale blowout.

Behind the vocal section, there are the musical compositions that show on the same ground level the impacts of Heavy, Power and Thrash in an almost pure modern look. Modern Thrash Metal is more widely known, yet if Modern Heavy and Power Metal can charge up like on this EP, there is a bright future for Modern Metal as it is still a lackey in comparison to the mighty Old School ways of writing and musical feels. Herod succeeded the most with great tracks as the crushing lengthy “Sexuality”, which is one of their top forms, the emotive yet deadly (with sporadic Metallica influences) “Jagged Visions” and the highly Mercyful Fate and King Diamond influenced “Genocide Solutions” that however there is a close similarity, on the main riff, to Ihsahn’s “Called By The Fire” tune, it is still a well done track with amazing intensity of a talented group of Metalheads. The others, “The Dark Deceiver” and “Curse Of The King” are also nice tracks and have great potential.