Carved in Stone

Of late, I've been nostalgically back cataloguing penultimate traditional heavy metal gems which strongly re-enforce my love of quote, "melodic metal" and intensely ear-pleasing, super harmonious bands which remain relatively obscure amongst Worldwide metal legions. While my fellow zealous albeit erudite Metal-Archives correspondent, Gasmask_Colostomy, essentially provided the straight dope regarding the Raleigh, North Carolina power trio which is Widow, it's high time I jump in the fray and energetically corroborate his gregariously enthused yet accordingly conducive take on its fifth full-length release overall and third in a row featuring solely the ax men as vocalists, Carved In Stone, released in 2016 on CD and vinyl under Pure Steel Records (the kick ass German label also revered for issuing likes of In Solitude, Savage Blade and Salem).

While I've only heard a few token tracks off previous releases in addition to 2011's Life's Blood (without at all gleaning any of the Lili fronted material), I've always felt Widow represented everything I dig about heavy metal: hard-driving, hook laden riffs galore, high sprung and downright liberating vocals and fist-pumping, sing-along choruses, as well as vociferous blazing guitar solos which, with one swipe of the fret board, grandiosely wipe my psyche clear of every day strife as well as the pain of existence. Florid you say? Well, dig the way the throttling opener, "Burning Star", eloquently swoops in with its auspiciously deployed guitar progression and litmus of neo-classical notes prior to fiercely seizing the day with a racking slider of a go-getting riff duly enhanced by a thickly registering rhythm section and menacingly muddy level of production.

Comparisons to class acts such as Cauldron and Spell are in order as the song structures poignantly vary between mellifluous, tension building clean passages and gripping-ly furrowing, at times literally soul burrowing and heart clanging tempo accelerations which fully engage the listener while making for ideal, urban night cruising music. A major step up on Carved In Stone is how the tracks eschew overt repetition and dull lyrical triteness. For instance, Life's Blood in my mind was the heavy metal equivalent of porn; once you heard a track or two, interest waned - heard one; heard 'em all, so to speak. As stated by Gasmask, even the more subdued and admittedly tame power ballads, "Time on Your Side" and "Live by the Flame" cosily fit within the album's massively accessible and non-committal format. If anything, the former serves as a wind/warm up pitch to the equally enthralling valedictory cuts whist the latter features a stellar synth infused bridge as well as masterful, maestro-like solo.

Said fist raising and freeing yet slightly less harried highlights include the haltingly hopping and chopping "Anomaly", the main crunchy, serpentine riff of which gives me the silly and amusing impression of wearing sweats and unknowingly engulfing the doorknob with a pocket, thus getting raucously thwacked by the door (!) whilst the cyclically tucking mid-paced, 80s evoking arena rock anthem "Of the Blood We Bind" humbly pays tribute to glam metal without inducing cringes or sardonic frowns. Suffice to say, the latest twin guitar tandem of John E. Wooten IV and Cristof Bennett compounded by Robbie Mercer's skilful drumming attack represents Widow at its peak. Should the guys keep improving like this, the sky's the limit. As a parting shot, I ceremoniously set the wickedly ribald and chthonic cover art as the background screen to every computer at my residence - you know, spread some behoving culture amongst my housemates and such!

Fans of classic hard rock, 80s metal and the "new wave of traditional heavy metal revival", even power metal, should make this their top priority at one point during this eternal summer!