By Andrew Bansal
Living in an era dominated by various forms of extreme metal i.e. heavy music punctuated by harsh growling vocals, the old-school heavy metal/classic hard rock fan in me yearns to hear bands with clean-sung vocals, and convinces me that I was born four decades too late. But, thankfully there still remains a talented albeit minute group of musicians that choose to bear the flag for clean-singing heavy metal. Through this list I attempt to highlight the efforts of ten such bands. To keep the focus on young, rising talent, the criteria for selection has been limited to bands that have at least one and not more than two full-length albums released. And befor anyone points out the obvious, I’m excluding Night Demon because my involvement with them transcends beyond the scope of this list, but otherwise they would be a no-brainer selection. Without further ado, here’s the list, along with a little taste of each band’s music, strictly in alphabetical order. Say ‘Yes’ to clean singing and give these bands a listen.
Axxion: As you are about to see throughout this list, Canada currently is one of the richest reservoirs when it comes to clean-singing metal, and one band that emerged from there in recent years is Toronto-based quartet Axxion. Starting out in 2011, independently releasing a self-titled EP in 2012, Axxion really made their mark on the world’s classic metal fans with their 2013 debut full-length release ‘Wild Racer’ via High Roller Records. Pristine high-pitched vocals decorated by quintessentially metal lyrics and backed by excellent musicianship, Axxion have all the ingredients to hold old-school metalheads’ attention.
Black Trip: Just like Canada, Sweden also prides itself on its abundance of clean-singing metal talent. Comprising a group of young but vastly experienced and highly calibred musicians, Stockholm quintet Black Trip was conceptualized in 2004 but the band was truly born in 2013 with the release of their debut full-length Goin’ Under, picked up and introduced in America in 2014 by Prosthetic Records. A glorious salute to Di’Anno era Iron Maiden and classic Thin Lizzy, Black Trip’s tunes hit the sweet spot instantly with every aspect of their sound.
Carousel: Hailing from Pittsburgh PA, a rather unusual and unlikely source of classic heavy metal, Carousel made a mind-blowing impact with their 2013 debut LP Jeweler’s Daughter via Tee Pee Records, sounding like a purified, Bon Scott-fronted Motorhead with Thin Lizzy guitar harmonies. The Jeweler’s Daughter title song comes across as am instant classic and the album only goes from strength to strength. While this effort still remains in constant rotation, their next album is much awaited, and the band is one of the few to carry the hope of the American traditional metal movement.
The Dagger: Another Swedish export from Stockholm, The Dagger began in 2009 and having worked on a clear 70s revival theme behind their music and appearance, released their self-titled debut album in 2014 via Century Media Records. They haven’t yet broken through in America in the same manner that some of their Swedish contemporaries have, but one their easily enjoyable and highly melodic, laid-back Thin Lizzy jams with Saxon-esque vocals will win metal hearts sooner rather than later.
Hessian: Based out of Portland, Maine, Hessian comes as a highly compelling new classic metal group with a discernible rock ‘n roll vibe and whimsical lyrical themes brought to life by a well-orchestrated trade-off between male and female vocals. Their 2014 debut full-length ‘Bachelor Of Black Arts’ is righteously cheesy and fun-filled metal from start to finish, and one expects much mor of the same from them as they move forward and take their entertaining musical persona to stages and platforms worldwide.
Monolith: San Diego’s own Monolith showed plenty of promise on their two EP releases in 2014, and they have realized their potential on the tunes that comprise their freshly released full-length ‘Against The Walls Of Forever’. Monolith is right up the alley for fans of old-school heavy metal with epic vocals and a prog-power vibe.
Royal Thunder: Atlanta GA quartet Royal Thunder garnered widespread acclaim with their 2012 debut ‘CVI’, presenting a self-created style of doom-infused rock ‘n roll interspersed with ethereal, soulful vocal and instrumental melodies. Their sophomore effort ‘Crooked Doors’ is ready for an April 2015 worldwide release, and as evident from this new track, promises to take the band to the next level of creative brilliance.
Skull Fist: Skillfully combining elements of power, thrash and glam metal, Toronto-based Skull Fist have succeeded in creating some of the catchiest, cleanest heavy metal to have come out in the past four years, with their two full-length albums ‘Head Of The Pack’ (2011) and ‘Chasing The Dream’ (2014). With hooks and melodies that leave a longlasting impression on the listener’s mind, Skull Fist are certainly Canada’s finest old-school metal export and continue to set the world alight.
Spellcaster: The city of Portland, Oregon has a richly thriving metal scene which is conducive for its residents to get inspired to start bands, but on the same token it’s not at all easy to stand out amongst the competition. But, Spellcaster is one band that has certainly done so, with a brand of heavy metal which in its impact level is very much synonymous with the band’s name. Built upon the foundations of speed, shred and melody, Spellcaster have several dimensions and layers to their tunes, as shown in plenty on their ‘Under The Spell’ and self-titled albums.
Visigoth: Worshippers of Manowar and Manilla Road, Visigoth are Salt Lake City, Utah’s finest when it comes to epic, clean heavy metal. The band recently got signed to Metal Blade Records and released their debut album ‘The Revenant King’ in February 2015, bringing much delight to fans of sword-weilding, fantasy-based power/heavy metal, and will do so to even greater effect as they prepare to dominate stages beyond SLC.