Ignitor are one of my favorite 00’s bands. Two excellent albums of traditional U.S. metal, highlighted by the outstanding vocal work of Erika Swinich. When news of her departure was announced, I was very skeptical about the band’s future. That skepticism turned into curiosity when I found out legendary Watchtower screamer Jason McMaster stepped in, to take over the mic on the band’s upcoming concept album “The Spider Queen”.

So what’s the result of this unholy union? First off let me tell you this is a whole different kind of beast, and a scary one at that! A large part of that is up to McMaster’s vocal performance: He screams, he shrieks, he growls and generally spits out the lyrics in a multitude of sick and twisted ways the human throat was clearly not meant to provide… and I loved every minute of it! I don’t think I’ve ever quite heard such an extreme, over the top vocal performance on a power metal album, and that says a lot coming from a King Diamond and Cirith Ungol fan!!! But it’s not just the vocals! The music is equally weird, much more complex than in the band’s previous albums, with sharp deadly riffs giving way to haunting sing along melodies, and plenty of tempo shifts that follow the storyline, which in turn is –surprise, surprise- a deranged tale about a man seeking revenge against an evil queen, who turns out to be a beautiful maiden, who turns out to be a deadly spider, which turns out to be his mother, who was cursed by his grandmother, who… anyway you get the point, it’s f*cked up!!!

Reading back on what I wrote, it seems pretty confusing, and I’m sure that if I go on it will get even more confusing, so here’s the bottom line : If you’re an obscure U.S. metal fan like myself, get it asap! If you’re a generic U.S. metal fan, try before you buy! If you’re a casual metal fan, look elsewhere, this one’s for the sick puppies!

Mister McMaster, you sir are A GOD!!! Cheerz to Stuart Laurence for another great album!


http://www.myspace.com/ignitor

Review by: Asgardlord

Read the Ignitor interview.