Danger Ahead

It's no secret Sweden's a veritable hotbed for killer "traditional" heavy metal in the vein of Ambush, Black Trip, Enforcer, In Solitude, Night, RAM, Portrait, Steelwing and Wolf, to name a select few. Another commendable band worthy of inclusion is Gothenburg's Air Raid, which just released what might be its most savory album, Across The Line, following a couple other doozies, 2012's Night Of The Axe and 2014's Point Of Impact. "Comme il faut", these were auspiciously preceded by a strong prototype EP in the precisely half-hour long seven tracker Danger Ahead, released under the reputable Stormspell Records - purveyor of stellar fare such as Ancient Empire, Hellhound and Shadowkiller - and while it may sound a bit plain and generic at first, on closer inspection proves its worth by way of upper-ranged yet virile vocals, solid, sustainable guitar/ bass riffs and well-rooted/ rounded drumming not to mention ravishing and at times downright zestful leads on behalf of Andreas Johansson and Johan Karlsson (whose spot has recently been filled by Magnus Mild), which duly honor similarly modeled twin-guitar incursions such as fellow countrymen listed above.

Unsurprisingly, this EP starts off with an alarming air raid siren - as with Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", or to a lesser know extent, H-Bomb's "Attaque" - before a trilling guitar riff leads the listener towards victory, further propelled by Michael Rinakakis' semi-epic vocals (he's now been replaced by Fredrik Werner) and Robin Utbult/ David Hermansson on bass and drums. While the drums resound prominently, the bass sounds a bit lost in the mix, except for the last three tracks, two of which are gleaned from the 2011 demo, "Traitor's Gate" (also a deadly NWOBHM band) and "Fight Street", which offer a fine taste of what's to come production-wise on later albums, notably the last one (to wit, I've only heard "Northern Lights" but it's definitely a step up thanks to its commanding bass line and sparkling, hallucinatory solos). Anyhow, this EP surely takes off with "Midnight Burner" and its mid-paced drum roll giving way to some finely woven, expressive leads before a crisp return to form and further eloquent verses on behalf of a by-now fully engaged front man.

Possibly my go-to track for this EP is "Free At Last", as it showcases both the guitarists' ambitious (and relentless) fretwork as well as a much stronger bass line, at times sticking out by way of its glorious "poing!", which does a wicked job of giving this song a particularly compelling and original flair. Considering the band has striven hard to define itself and find its niche amongst its peers, Danger Ahead represents ground zero in terms of development. Alternatively, expect to be reeled in fast by its most recent offering, the utterly fantastic Across The Line, which duly establishes Air Raid as a winning contender.