Green Eyleen

When I first heard the music on Lord Fist's debut full-length Green Eyleen, I would never have guessed the band hailed from Finland - the energetic, uplifting riffs and the dual harmonies hearken quite strongly back to the NWOBHM, and while there has been something of a revival of that style in the last decade or so, most of the newer practitioners come from the UK or the US, or if not from one of those maybe Sweden; very rarely do they come from Finland, a fact which Lord Fist have adeptly and triumphantly begun to remedy. It's cool to see the style spreading outside of its original comfort zone, especially to a place like Finland which, while being a very large producer of metal bands, never really had much of a traditional metal scene at the time the NWOBHM was at its peak. Oz and Riff Raff were the only bands who received much attention, and the style just didn't really catch on there like it would with europower a decade and a half later. In a way, the NWOBHM style is bigger now than it ever was in the 80s (I only mean this in the geographic sense, I know it's not on the same level of popularity), as the internet allows bands like Lord Fist to emerge from places where the NWOBHM never really reached with the technology of the early 80s. Instead of just the US, the UK, Sweden, and to some extent Germany, the style can now reach the ears of anyone with an internet connection, and those who play it can reach those same distances in finding an audience. Yes, it's now 2016, almost 2017 as I'm writing this, and I think that metal has never been stronger.

What, then, does this album sound like, exactly? Sure, it's NWOBHM, but aside from the catchy, energetic style and the tendency towards dual guitar melodies, that's a fairly vague descriptor. It definitely doesn't have an early 80s production, but it's not castrated and processed like modern Metallica, either. It's got a fairly organic sound while still providing a strong crunch to the guitars and a smooth enough polish that you can always hear everything that's going on. Vocalist Perttu Koivenun (who also handles one of the two guitars) fits the band pretty well, with a voice that's pretty charismatic, a range that tends to stay in tenor but rarely enters the stratosphere, and a tone that's smooth and charming enough to put him above a lot of the unskilled singers from the original NWOBHM (Kevin Heybourne, I'm looking at you). As far as the riffs and melodies themselves, well, nothing here's going to blow your mind, but there's nothing that I'd call derivative, either. Pair that with a pretty solid sense of songwriting and I'd say this album is well above par for the course, and while it may never be as memorable as, say, Lightning to the Nations, it's a fun ride to listen to all the way through, with a length that's not at all prohibitive and not a filler track to be found.

The title track and its second part (also titled "The Well of Ganchul") are especially strong, with the former taking the album's general stylisms and aesthetic and turning them up to 10, and the latter being more of a slow, plodding number that still manages to throw in riffs and solos to keep the listener rapt at all times. On that song ("The Well of Ganchul") and "Power Medal," some Mercyful Fate influence can be heard here and there, which in my opinion only adds to the experience, creating a combination just a little bit different from anything you might have heard in the 80s and keeping their own style distinct enough to be recognized. The Manowar-esque chanting over the brilliant riff at the end of "Power Medal" is another highlight of the album, again reminding the listener that this is 2015 and taking a cue or two from outside the strictly "NWOBHM" realm can be and in this case, certainly is beneficial to one's sound. Overall this is a very strong debut effort for the band and I can't wait to see what they manage to do with the sophomore album! If you're a fan of 80s heavy metal, this album is highly recommended.