GOBLINS BLADE – Of Angels And Snakes

Old School Metal

From Germany we have the debut album from Goblins Blade – Of Angels and Snakes which hearkens us back to the early days of Power Metal with all of it’s glory. On first listening I was immediately reminded of Helloween’s Walls of Jericho when Kai Hansen was singing and playing guitar. Goblins Blade has captured that early Power Metal sound and feel, and deliver an album packed with crunchy precise riffs, kick ass double bass drumming and epic vocal lines. The album art by Dusan Markovic is beautifully done, fitting perfectly with the feel and mood of the album.

Snakes From Above

GOBLINS BLADE was founded in 2018 by Jörg M. Knittel, a founding member of Sacred Steel who has put together a great group of musicians that know how to do proper old school Power Metal. When Jörg was ready with his new songs, he found his band members in former Destillery vocalist Florian Reimann, ex-Mystic Prophecy drummer Claudio Sisto and Roberto Palacios of Chinchilla on bass and Claudio Enzler filling the role of second guitarist being the final piece to the puzzle that makes up Goblins Blade. Of Angels and Snakes has 9 songs running 42:22 minutes of tightly played, well produced metal. As a debut album, the band is off to a great start and with this album there is the promise of more great music to come.

Favorite Tracks

All of the tracks on the record are well written and the lyrics are well crafted. Personal favorites include “Pay for Your Sins” with it’s Man of War style 6/8 rhythms and epic riffing, “Final Fall” with its speed and power, and “Utopia” with all of it’s catchy hooks and lyrics. Several of the tracks are in the 6/8 time signature, which seems to be a favorite mode for the band. Other stand out tracks for this reviewer were “The Bell is Broken” and “Call for Unity”. The album production is top notch, and was both mixed and mastered by Wolf Nillies at Earmastersound Studio.

Final Notes

With bands now playing metal in classic styles without worrying about what the next trend will be, we are blessed with some great new material in the beautiful format of Power Metal just like it was done in the early 80s. I for one am glad and would recommend the album to any and all fans of 80s Power Metal. I look forward to the next album from Goblins Blade, and having Of Snakes and Angels in your library is a good idea for headbangers of all ages, young and old.

Lineup

Florian Reimann – Vocals
Jörg M. Knittel – Lead Guitar
Claudio Enzler – Guitar
Roberto Palacios – Bass

Of Angels And Snakes – Tracklist

1. Snakes From Above
2. Pay For Your Sins
3. Blink Of An Eye
4. Final Fall
5. Utopia
6. When The Night Follows The Day
7. The Bell Is Broken
8. Fall Into Darkness
9. Call For Unity

Running time: 42:22 Minutes