Power from the East

Barrow Wight is a young band from Canada who plays decidedly old school metal. Bringing traditional heavy metal with some burnt and blackened edges and a rollicking ferocity rarely heard in today’s overproduced metal scene. Bringing the vibes of Venom and early Bathory, Barrow Wight’s sound has certainly been done to death, but they bring with it a new sense of youthful energy and a grizzled edge that would make a young Tom G. Warrior proud.

Rather than plaguing your ears with silly lyrics about Satan and evil and goats, Barrow Wight turns to real world sources for inspiration; the likes of Sauron, the Nazgul and Mordor. While the Lord of the Rings has served as lyrical inspiration for tons of bands, the band’s tongue in cheek approach to the world of Mordor is much appreciated; hell, their second demo is even titled In League With Sauron, and who wouldn’t get a chuckle out of that?

Power From the East is the band’s third release, released early in 2014. In July of 2014 Dying Victim productions re-released this as a seven inch. Despite this being a proper EP with five tracks, it’s only twelve minutes long (and one of the tracks is an intro, to boot). Regardless of length, Barrow Wight brings their best foot forward, as this is an enjoyable run through classic traditional metal with touches of gritty proto-black metal thrown in for good measure. The production is certainly rough, but when paying homage to the likes Venom, Motorhead and Hellhammer, production shouldn’t be one of the biggest concerns. The guitar tone is gritty and filthy while the bass and drums are grouped towards the rear, allowing the strong, rollicking riffs to stand front and center. The vocals are gruff, almost like a grizzled shout that just ooze 1980′s vibes.

Despite the innate grittiness to the music, there is a solid amount of melody and hooks strewn throughout each of the tracks. “Rock Into Mordor” focuses on a catchy chorus that just begs to be sung along to, with a groovy and crunchy riff supporting the gruff vocals. “War Rider” brings a fast-paced, Venom inspired riff, yet the guitars are able to break free for a fast and sleazy guitar straight from the book of Fast Eddie Clark. The five tracks fly by, but the catchiness and reckless old school vibes will keep you coming back for more. Fans of the grand revival of traditional metal should definitely check this out. Just remember, these guys are in league with Sauron, not Satan.

Written for The Metal Observer.