Fire on the Mountain

Twilight of the Gods is a side-project based on the works of Bathory and Manowar, led by many veterans of the black metal sphere. Former and current members of Primordial, Mayhem, Lock Up and others make a bold journey of metallic glory throughout "Fire on the Mountain" despite the musical shift to traditional ground. Once a Bathory tribute group, Twilight of the Gods made the switch to original material somewhere down the road. "Fire on the Mountain," the group's first release, is quite a substantial product. Nothing flashy or extraordinary on the musical end other than the wonderful vocals of Alan Averill, and that is absolutely fine. Sometimes old-school metallic whippings with explosive choruses work just fine, and that's the fundamental principle of "Fire on the Mountain."

This, at hindsight, will probably seem like an insignificant record. The songs are all basic in how they are structured, running through simple riffs and huge choruses that together aren't foreign at all to the works of Manowar, Bathory, even some Dio/Rainbow if you use your imagination. Largely a mid-paced experience, "Fire on the Mountain" has the color of an old-school heavy metal record with modern production values, stylistically applying epic atmospheres that entwine with the patriotic musings of Manowar. The songs really aren't unique or incredible, but they are fun and bombastic, and that consistency is what makes the record a joyride into the land of steel and fire. Just a stockpile of rudimentary traditional metal qualities that are cliché, but appropriately cliché.

Alan Averill shouting diatribes about the glories of metal only adds fuel to the blazing inferno started by Twilight of the Gods' flammable musicianship. Averill, transitioning here from black/folk metal bard of Primordial to leader of a classic-esque group, is predictably a world-class singer in this setting, though far from his musical home. The somber, ethereal chimes of his Primordial works are, of course, passed over for vocal patterns and tempos more akin to the works of Dio or Quorthon's last few recordings. In the end, Averill's vocals are the A1 sauce while the remaining slab is more of a decent steak cooked just right. Nothing but good times within "Fire on the Mountain," unless you like Five Finger Death Punch or crap like that, and if that's the case then you are false and cannot entry.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com