HyperGlaive

Who would have thought a mere ten or fifteen years ago that the United States of America, which at the turn of the millennium was all but a barren metal wasteland – unless you count nu metal as actual metal –, would one day catapult itself to the forefront of the so-called New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWoTHM), with a host of young and aspiring musicians following in the footsteps of former metal legends while adding new wrinkles and a surplus of youthful energy to the tried-and-true metal sound of years past? Better-known names like Visigoth or Eternal Champion immediately come to mind, but it doesn’t stop there.

Enter Mega Colossus, formerly known simply as Colossus, from the beautiful southern state of North Carolina. On a side note, more metal bands should just go ahead and rename themselves by adding “mega” to their existing moniker. How about Mega Megadeth, Mega Manowar, Mega Carcass or Mega Death? Oh well, forget about that last one, but I’m sure you get the gist of it. Anyway, (Mega) Colossus are still a relatively young outfit, having formed in 2005 and so far putting out only one full-length album and an EP under their enhanced name.

Stylistically, what’s offered on Hyperglaive is classic true heavy metal with a distinct hint of, for lack of a better term, American weirdo metal in the vein of bands like, among others, (The Lord Weird) Slough Feg, Cirith Ungol or Manilla Road. The “weirdo” influence manifests itself in some slightly out-of-whack guitar harmonies and solos, some off-kilter melodies, some slightly unhinged vocal lines and the occasional mad-scientist vibe of the science-fiction and fantasy-inspired lyrics belted out by talented singer Sean Buchanan. The guy has a pleasant voice and hits the right balance between moderate aggression and metallic crooning, producing some high-pitched screams but mostly adhering to a melodic medium pitch.

But let’s get back to the guitars for a second, as they are arguably the single best thing about Hyperglaive. Axmen Stephen Cline and Bill Fischer may not be household names, but their brilliant performance is absolutely sparkling, full of energy and unbridled enthusiasm, yet also refined and technically sound. One moment they will shred you to oblivion, the next they will kill you ever so softly with their beautiful harmonies.

Needless to say, the dual-guitar harmonies and galloping riffs bear more than a faint trace of Iron Maiden, a kinship that’s reflected right away by the blistering opener “Sunsword” and the epic “Sea of Stars”, which comes off a bit like Mega Colossus attempting to transfer Maiden’s “Revelations” into the year 2016. Other highlights include the deceptively catchy ”Betta Master”, “Behold the Worm” – with lyrics based on Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel “Dune” – and “You Died”, for which a hilarious low-budget music video can be found on YouTube. However, some of the longer tunes such as “Gods and Demons”, with lyrics inspired by Greek mythology, “The Judge” or the closing space epic “Star Wranglers” tend to be a bit overwrought at times and could have benefited from some steadier songwriting. Variation and a multitude of different ideas certainly are a good thing, but sometimes the right amount of repetition and constraint can go a long way in creating a well-defined outline and making a song more distinguishable.

Such minor weaknesses aside, Hyperglaive features truly awesome cover artwork – a lizard-like alien posing in uniform like some absolutist monarch is equal parts zany and amazing – and is expertly produced. Seriously, why is it that some rather obscure underground band can manufacture a killer sound despite a rather limited recording budget, whereas some of metal’s biggest names can throw a huge lump of cash at some high-priced producer and still end up with something sounding only slightly better than your average high-school band?

Long story short, Hyperglaive, despite some occasionally unremarkable tracks, is another in an increasingly long line of great recent outputs by a flurry of young and hungry American metal acts and is well worth your time. Behold the mighty space lizard in all his glory!

Choicest cuts: Sunsword, Sea of Stars, Betta Master, You Died

Rating: 8.0 out of 10 points