GALAXY "Lost From The Start" MEGATON SWORD "Niralet"

GALAXY “Lost From The Start”

MEGATON SWORD “Niralet”

Dying Victims is a new niche label out of Germany. From what I can see, they are specializing in what we euphemistically call “true metal”. Two of their offerings are Eps from GALAXY and MEGATON SWORD. Let’s see what’s shakin’ with these guys…

They are definitely onto something with GALAXY from Melbourne, Australia. If you could imagine a cosmic collision between AGENT STEEL, HELSTAR and MERCYFUL FATE, you would be in the same orbit as GALAXY. The AGENT STEEL influence is particularly strong and the band also focus on sci fi. They play fast and very well thought out metal with good time changes and melodies. “Sons of Titan” is a real screamer while the title track is more epic with lots of twin harmony guitar. The vocals veer between a rather flat clean monotone and piercing falsettos that bring John Cyriis and King Diamond to mind. There are some pretty awkward vocal moments, but GALAXY’s sound is very strong and should interest anybody into 80’s speed metal.

MEGATON SWORD are from Switzerland and are a different kind of animal. These guys are in the sword and shield bearing warrior kick, playing manly epic metal in the vein of MANILLA ROAD, OMEN and even CANDLEMASS but without sounding slavishly like any of them. Their songwriting is metallic and majestic without being too overdone and each song here has its own identity, which is also a plus. What may be a deal breaker for these guys are the strange vocals of Uzzy Unchained (I hope he is kidding!) which are really different….super nasal and very clipped and robotic. A little bit like the dude from SACRED STEEL but with a lot of the emotion stripped out. They are very unique and I wound up liking them, but they take some getting used to, for sure.

I’m pretty impressed with both these acts. They show some promise for the future and deserve to be on the radar for enthusiasts of underground epic/speed metal.

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS

GALAXY

MEGATON SWORD