Some people were born in a wrong decade, and these four Milanese fellows are perfect examples on that; they play music that's totally 1980s. So, if you're in for some modern stuff, you can stop reading right about now. Or then not, if you're still an open-minded modern metal head!

Blake's Vengeance carry the flag of technical and melodic metal, that mix loads of things in. There are speed metal, thrash metal, power metal and heavy metal riffs in their music, which often are tasty for fans of these four styles. The band also can conjure some catchy melodies, as well as binding guitar solos. Just give a spin for 'Ronin' which, without any surprise, carries awesome Japanese style tunes. I was a fan of old Commodore 64 The Last Ninja games, and the song takes me back to those vibes. There's lots of shrieking guitars, harmonies and shredding happening. In short, guitar playing here is very lively, vivid. The bass guitar isn't about following the guitars or the drums all the time, because it fluctuates in between and also travels its own paths.

Tempo changes? Check. Straight from the start of the opener 'We Sleep'. Because this includes many guitar playing styles, the drumming too is similarly alternating. From double kick drumming to galloping beats, and to more technical or mathematical stuff. The band were able to compose catchy songs even with this kind of technicality going on in it. To tell the truth, this isn't "out there" type music, but more like semi-technical. The music definitely carries progressive trait. It's probably not instant, but grower for sure.

The vocals are all clean. They aren't very powerful or strong, but can hit the notes. They are a bit "about there", with lots of yelping going on. They still fit in very well with punchy playing, though. I think it helps that they are highly reverbed. They will certainly split opinions. The backing vocals are here to boost the main ones up. The production harks back to 1980s, too.

To give you more hints, Blake's Vengeance can be said to sound something like NWOBHM (maybe not Iron Maiden, even though they are named as one of the influences on biography) mixed with bands such as Coroner, Realm and even Mekong Delta to some extent. While BV can get very catchy at times, it's also surprising and needs attention. And what makes it even more special is the fact that this is the band's debut demo (thankfully reissued by Defense Records)! What an entrance. Cannot wait for more from Blake's Vengeance.

Reviewed by Lane
06/26/2017 19:33