Buoyed by the success of their ballsy 2009 EP Improper Burial and spunky 2010 debut album Crisis In Utopia, LA trad metallers Holy Grail have delivered a follow-up brimming with rampant energy and explosive exuberance.
Packed with crunchy riffing, catchy choruses and salvos of slick guitar shredding, it’s classic metal with a contemporary edge. Looking back but always moving forward, they’re anxious not to get slapped with the retro tag, a badge of honour in some circles, a poison chalice in others. Given that vocalist James Paul Luna and drummer Tyler Meahl are veterans of the first incarnation of White Wizzard, Improper Burial’s deliberately dated style came as no surprise.
Ride The Void, however, continues their shift towards a much broader spectrum of metaldom without sacrificing the full-tilt, hammer-down style evolved from obvious influences such as Priest and Maiden. Muscular, melodic and instantly memorable, it’s proper metal with a pedigree and tons of pizzazz.
