ELEGANT WEAPONS
Horns For A Halo
Nuclear Blast Records
As I have said before, the pandemic brought us some of the most phenomenal music produced in years. ELEGANT WEAPONS' album Horns For A Halo is 53 minutes of 10 tracks that will remind you what Metal music is. I dare any true Metal head to give this album a listen because I guarantee you won't have much to say other than holy sh** this is bad mother fk'n ass!
The creation of this metal mastery supergroup is Richie Faulkner of JUDAS PRIEST. As all PRIEST and most metal fans know, Faulkner suffered an aortic aneurysm along with a complete aortic dissection in 2021. Usually just one of these can be fatal but Richie defied the odds, survived and made a full recovery. Faulkner brought in some of his metal brethren to become ELEGANT WEAPONS; PANTERA's bassist Rex Brown, vocalist Ronnie Romero of RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW and MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, and finally on drums is Richie's PRIEST brother Scott Travis. Andy Sneap of JUDAS PRIEST produced this kaleidoscope of melodic metal. (The touring band consists of URIAH HEEP's Dave Rimmer and ACCEPT's Chris Williams replacing Scott Travis.)
The first track on the album is "Dead Man Walking". This track sets us up for what we are going to get for the next 53 minutes. Ronnie's voice is a mix of melodic rock and gritty, early Seattle grunge. Faulkner's guitar solos are unhinged and right in your face. If for no other reason, the shredding in this album is reason enough to listen. "Do Or Die" is the next track and it's more punch-you-in-the-face aggressive. The fast speed on guitars and drums mixed with the lyrics, it's one to make you sit up and bang your head and dare I say step in the mosh pit. With "Bitter Pill" I kept getting hints of SKID ROW, Sebastian Bach vibes. Ronnie hitting those high notes mixed with angry grit, this was one of my favorites on this album. "Ghost Of You" is the ballad of the album, a melancholy, bluesy sound that is completely different from the rest of the album. I'm not quite sure how it will be received.
The "Lights Out" cover of a UFO hit is an interesting version. It wasn't too far from the original, but I can't help but think fans would prefer another original. The title track "Horns For A Halo" is another favorite for several reasons. It reminisces sounds of SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST undoubtedly, and DIO along with some SOUNDGARDEN mixed in. Don't we all have Horns and Halos? The subject of the song and will the angels mistake your horns for a halo, I think many listening to this track can identify with that. "White Horse" is the longest track on this album at 7 minutes and 3 seconds. The intro immediately has a WINERY DOGS sound in my opinion. This track isn't so heavy but fast, upbeat rock. The guitar isn't overbearing and lets the other members showcase their talent. It's 7 minutes but doesn't seem that long. About 5 minutes in it slows and has more of a soft sound. The last 45 seconds speeds up again and ends in Ronnie's hitting a high note.
All in all, this is a fantastic album. Yes, the members are Metal royalty as well as Andy who produced it. It really does reflect the 80's metal/rock. So many influences are heard throughout this project. Richie has said that these songs become the listener's once this album was released. He feels privileged that his music will be listened to and potentially fans will become attached to it. He looks forward to seeing people sing along to their music. He's incredibly grateful that his music will become part of someone's day and also for the influences of THIN LIZZY, BLACK SABBATH, PRIEST, UFO, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, METALLICA and more. I think these influences did well in the music that was written for this album. Seeing these guys play live will be a privilege and I look forward to it. Watch for US tour dates.
5.0 Out Of 5.0
