Over the Top

So I've been following White Wizzard for quite some time now, through when almost their entire lineup got kicked out (went on to form Holy Grail) and to the release of their debut album 'Over the Top'. I originally had my doubts, since this new line-up had not released an EP of them playing, but after buying this album my doubts were soon expelled. This is a great Traditional Heavy Metal album, and White Wizzard are definitely among the leaders of the revival. However, while it's a great album it does have its flaws.

The album starts off strong with it's title track 'Over the Top'. It's a quick paced, in your face track with lots of great riffing, very strong bass, and solid drum work. And the vocals by Wyatt Anderson are simply amazing. He's a huge improvement over the previous vocalist and he has a powerful voice with great range. The next two tracks ('40 Deuces' and 'High Roller') are also fine tracks. The first problem we hit is 'Live Free or Die'. It's a generally boring track with generally boring lyrics. Now, it's not a bad track, but it could have been a lot better. And this is what we see with a couple other tracks on the album. Compared to the others, they just seem boring and rather uninspired. But if you can make it through those tracks, and trust me you will, you will be rewarded by some truly great ones. Both 'Iron Goddess of Vengeance' and 'Out of Control' are great tracks that start off with prominent bass. Jon Leon's bass playing is impeccable and the way it fits into the songs is very reminiscent of Iron Maiden's Steve Harris. In fact, there's a lot of Iron Maiden inspiration in this band, which for me at least, is another positive thing. The album ends with two of it's strongest tracks in 'Death Race' and 'White Wizzard'. Both have all of what's listed above, but none of this album comes off as stale.

The production quality of this album, like their EP, is very strong. It easily shows that a lot of time was put into it to make a strong debut, and that's exactly what it does. While this album does have a couple of negatives, it's still a must-have for any Traditional Heavy Metal fan, because I wouldn't call it a long-shot if over the next couple years White Wizzard clearly shows themselves as the leaders in the revival of the genre.

Positives:
-Great performances by band members.
-Good production quality
-'Over the Top', '40 Deuces', 'Death Race', 'White Wizzard'.

Negatives:
-Somewhat uninspired lyrics on some songs
-Generic writing on some songs
-'Live Free or Die', 'Strike of the Viper'.