Blizzen are another fresh band from Germany playing heavy/speed metal that’s got a touch more class than some of the bands out there. Long awaited and on the right label, this band have some killer tunes. From the opening speed metal start to ‘Strike the Hammer’ it’s clear their intentions are metal as metal can be. Vocally I find some similarities to Stallion, I suppose musically too, but this is more in the speed metal vein with a peppering of traditional metal overall. The drum fills on ‘Strike the Hammer’ hit a real chord with me too, thunderous, immense and used wisely. In fact I haven’t found a dull track on this short EP.
Also really worthy of mention is ‘Peace for the Weak’, and the EP title track ‘Time Machine’. There is a great sense of melody and flow around such tracks, ok the other two I haven’t mentioned here are still high class, but I find the arrangements are more thorough on the two named above. ‘Peace for the Weak’ for example has more of a traditional metal feel like early Cauldron and even as far back as Goathorn with its staccato choppy guitar pattern and enduring vocal tone. ‘Time Machine’ is fast, loud and makes more use of different time signatures with a stronger team effort in terms of backing vocals that could take you to some quarters of the melodic rock and hair bands of yesteryear too, it has all the hallmarks of some killer bands from the past, more so from the US and Canada rather than from Europe (the European vocal stance was/is generally harsher than this) if we delve back far enough.
So for me this is another band to add to the want list, and for the reader here one of the more complete packages of the constant resurgence of newer bands playing classic metal.
(8.5/10 Paul Maddison)
14/04/2015 at 8:50 am
Completely agree with this! Great EP which is full of life!