...unto the Breach

The mighty Sellsword, I see this band countless times referred to as a band of old-school revival. I couldn't think any more the contrary. Sure the singer has a gritty old-school vibe, reminding me a bit of the vocalist of the classic British power metal band Cloven Hoof, but if this band had a Kotipelto or Deris fronting it they would no less sound much closer to their actual contemporaries. And the predominant sound of this album is a unique and wonderous continuation of the European power metal conception. They definitely pay heed to the masters.

Lyrically this album comes from the lineage of fantasy, battles, and antiquity, much in the vein of bands like Virgin Steele, Rhapsody, or Turisas. With the rampant use of keyboards and cheesy theatrical lyrics they really amp up the epicness and battle-readiness of their imagery. Throughout the album you get fast ultra-melodic riffing, excellent prototypically Germanic power-drumming, walls of predictable and furious double bass, and some of the most tasteful shredding I have heard in quite some time for power metal. Seriously, you can skip through all the solos on this album and be thoroughly amused. The choruses are bright and triumphant, often with massive amounts of singalong character. At times there is some narration by the vocalist that adds even more to the medieval primordial character of the album. And of course that Euro-pm minor to major chord shifting is all over the place on this album along with grandiose arpeggios and modulations.

This album deserves a more polished production but at the same time they maximized what they could here. The thick atmosphere of keyboards is ever-present, and though the mix is a bit muddy and underpolished the keyboards and orchestrations from organ, to choirs, to synthesizer bring a huge aura to the album. The arrangements, most importantly, are very tight; the mix from song to song is quite coherent. I love the chapel-like Gregorian organ chant sound to open Inquisitor. These guys sure spare nothing in the realm of power metal grandiosity.

The musicianship is top notch here. Predominantly in the guitars and keys. These guys can shred and it is absolutely of the most canon and tasteful manner. There are definitely gleams of the great ultra-neoclassical works of Children of Bodom, Rhapsody, and Stratovarius lined up all though here. There is another odd influence here that hits me straight out of left field and that is of fellow countrymen Bal-Sagoth who had similar mountains of keyboards and hyper-melodic riffing. Of course this album is rather light and devoid of any form of extremities, despite its high level of intensity. If you listen for it, when the rare moments of blast-beat come on this album think of that comparison. The big cosmic passages really hearken to that band in he most intriguing manner. It really is a tour de force of an album in inking out as much bombastic luster as possible.

It's fitting that they start with an Aurthurian tale because the singer basically is king Arthur if he were a vocalist. Lyrically they don't tread over much new territory, from the Latin heaven and hell of Inquisitor to the Running Wild-esque buccaneers; and everything else that is monumental and exhilarating.

My personal nod to my favorite tracks on here would be Inquisitor, the title track, and the stratospherically epic and bombastic closer Blackened Sky, but from start to finish this one is a barn-burner. I would also suggest those interested in this album who might be interested in "USPM" to check out bands like Helloween, Falconer, Royal Hunt, Hammerfall, Edguy, as this album is more in that lot than that of a USPM band. And to fans of those bands here on a whim, you will gobble this one hook, line, and sinker.

I’m actually surprised Sellsword hasn’t received as much attention as, say, Eternal Champion, considering this band is the best British response to all the classic heavy/epic/USPM revival going on (a trend that I have enjoyed quite a bit) and much better than most of the new bands of the style from any country. I’d say Eternal Champion uses marginally better cover art, but pound for pound, in quality duel, I bet my money on these Brits. …and Now We Ride was such a potent and well-crafted, if a bit overlong debut, packed with extremely memorable tunes and pristine musicianship. …unto the Breach has carried those values for another stellar display on the battleground, if somewhat diminished. I welcome the fact that this isn’t another hour-and-a-quarter release, though I didn’t find anything as memorable as “Crossing the Blades”, “Against the Wind” or “The Siege” here.

Ultimately, this band lives or dies by Stuart Perry’s amazing vocals, melodic but manly, armed with great personality, and most importantly, quite recognizable. He reminds me of Falconer’s Mathias Blad with a hint of, another Swede, Sabaton’s Joakim Brodén, not as operatic as the former but more polished than the latter. It was love at first listen for me, and he remains the driving force on this one. That’s not to understate the rest of the band members proficiency; this is a complete band and all contribute to its solid quality. Again, the keyboards provide a great epic atmosphere. Sometimes I feel I’m playing Age of Empires while listening to a heavy/power metal album… not a bad combo, indeed. Most of the time they adorn the tunes, but sometimes they even contribute a bit in the solo sections. But this time around I feel some of the keyboards are a little too much, a tad cheesy in a few spots, like the mid-section of “Buccaneers” or the intro in “The Courage to Die”. Not a major flaw, but a bit exaggerated when most of the time they’re spot on.

The metal instruments are flawless in delivery and quality, though they vary in sound potency. Mahy & Stephenson’s guitars are a bit subdued in comparison to the vocals, but I’m not complaining, you can still clearly appreciate the solid riffs and melodic solos. Tom Kelley’s bass is even more buried in the mix, but as this band emphasizes its melodic elements, it’s not a big surprise, not a big loss either, as the bass lines usually fall right behind the guitars. Tom Warner’s drums are another strong point, not mind-blowing but sufficiently forceful and precise, as he employs a varied array of tempos and techniques, even a few blastbeats on occasion. Some of his air toms sound a bit funny, like an improved version of the 80s Watchtower’s drum sound, but that’s not a detriment to the overall quality of the record, just a curiosity. I’m not sure who handled the keyboards, but that someone did a pretty good job.

As in their debut, most of the songs average six minutes in length, with the exception of the almost-twelve-minute epic closer, “Blackened Sky”, which I consider the best composition here by a large margin. It’s thrilling and well-constructed, and even has more memorability than the rest of the tracks, half its size. As I mentioned before, one aspect wanting from …unto the Breach is that the tunes are not as instantly memorable and catchy as some from their debut. Still, all eight tracks possess some degree of might and charisma, from the Arthurian opener to the semi-power balladry of “Heart of the Brave”. Sellsword released a worthy sophomore, even if the impact wasn’t as strong as the conquering strengths of their first LP. We’ll see what becomes of the third assault… if we’re lucky to witness one, as it appears Sir Perry is no longer among the ranks of this Brit epic heavy army, a considerable loss to say the least.