Band: Visigoth
Album: Conqueror’s Oath
Release Date: 9th February 2018
Record Label: Metal Blade Records
Visigoth are a band that I hadn’t heard of until quite recently. I was trawling through the album releases of various record labels, and basing which bands to listen to on the album covers. Visigoth were one of the bands that got themselves on this list.
Steel and Silver kicks off the album with power. This is exactly what you would expect from old school heavy metal. The chorus is a great singalong and the urge to power stance is strong.
Warrior Queen kicks off with a traditional power scream, though I did expect the pitch to go even higher. Honestly, this isn’t my favourite song on the album. The vocals for me didn’t seem to fit on the first listen, but on the second listen they grew on me a little more.
The vocal style for me suits the faster paced songs a lot better. Outlive Them All gives you an audio punch in the ears, and Hammerforged carries on the same faster pace. There is a lot of Manowar influence in this album, and you can definitely hear the more American style of metal in this album.
Traitor’s Gate is probably my favourite song from the album. It starts off as a little bit of a ballad, but you then get the faster pace, and I can easily see a crowd headbanging, fist pumping, power stancing and singing along. This is definitely my favourite song on the album.
The next song does let the album down a little for me, it sounds very 80’s, very Kiss, very Detroit Rock City. There is a power metal element to it, but for me it doesn’t really fit the rest of the album. Blades in the Night brings back some of the traditional power metal. It reminds me a little of Rise and Take Command by Sellsword and the verses remind me of Still Standing Up by The Ferrymen.
Conqueror’s Oath finishes with the title track, it reminds me of some Manowar and is a fitting end to the album. It’s a track that makes you want to raise your fist in the air, and sing along.
The album is, for me, a standard power metal album, taking influences from the earlier power metal bands such as Manowar and Iron Maiden. You can definitely hear the influence of the American metal scene in the album as well, it could almost be described as a little bit thrashy in some places. If you’re looking to explore power metal, I would say that this album is a good place to start if you’re into your more old school heavy metal. It’s a nice transition album into the more fantasy based power metal of Europe.
Verdict: 7/10
Buy Conqueror’s Oath: https://visigothofficial.bandcamp.com/album/conquerors-oath
More information about Visigoth: http://www.metalblade.com/visigoth/
Ostara Metal 