The debut full length album from Portuguese heavy metal band Ravensire, We March Forward is a 10 track affair that bleeds for the cause in a raw, primal manner – carrying my headspace back to the youthful excitement traditional bands gave me in the 1980’s. Names such as Mercyful Fate, Omen, Heavy Load, Manowar, and Iron Maiden come up the most when taking in powerful riffs that possess a marching, warrior-like mindset topped with epic-style melodies and natural metal tempos.
Guitarists Nuno Mordred and Ze RockHard possess the right point/counterpoint outlook, knowing when to double up for harmony sake but also layering things in such a way to promote head banging and unison audience screaming with the musical action. The lyrical outlook matches up perfectly to the traditional metal platform, as tales of fire; battles, personal triumph and struggle, and ancient warrior action fill the word landscape.
Bassist Rick Thor handles the vocal duties, and his voice is one that has a little bit of stained grit but very clear, and he certainly will not be mistaken for the Halfords or Dios of the world. Yet it works on energetic offerings such as “Fate Is Inexorable” and the galloping “Mire of Delusion”- and I can see a lot of fists pumping in time with the riffing and gang-oriented chorus work.
47 minutes of old school metal with similar production values as what was heard in those times – We March Forward brings back a lot of exciting memories, and could be valuable to those who want to relive those glory years of 1982-1986 again.
Matt Coe, HMS
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