It seems that ETERNAL CHAMPION have a great impact among the newer bands and somehow, they created a small but growing scene: GATEKEEPER, SMOULDER, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, THRONE OF IRON, each one seem to be orbiters of ETERNAL CHAMPION, something which is not bad at all, because all of them provided us with some good music.
Among the closest orbiters are MEGATON SWORD, a band from Zurich, Switzerland which surprised us with their debut EP.
Everything about MEGATON SWORD reminded me of ETERNAL CHAMPION: From the breathtaking cover art (truly a piece of art) to the sound and the song structures pay a small homage to the band from Texas.
So, what do we have here? Five songs of straight Heavy / Epic Metal and a veil of mystery-fantasy covering them. I understand that there is a fantasy inspired story behind the tracks, but I do not have the lyrics. However, this does not prohibit the epic atmosphere to flow through the songs. Most tracks are mid-tempo with a steady rhythm and lots of guitar harmonics and melodies while the vocals reminded me of OZZY and – guess what- Jason Tarpey of ETERNAL CHAMPION.
Do not expect hyper speed tracks, instead you will get anthemic choruses and an early 80s obscure vibe. MEGATON SWORD deliberately or not managed to captivate the vibe of some 80βs obscurities in their EP: MANILLA ROAD, LAZARUS SIN, KINGS RANSOM, are some of them. The vibe is there but thanks to the production MEGATON SWORD sound fine tuned to our age.
However, I do have some objections: both the songwriting and the vocal melodies need work. The first two tracks sound as if they are leftovers of βArmor of Ireβ and though the next songs reveal some true potentials, only the last song manages to stand out. I firmly believe that the band should have worked more on their ideas.
MEGATON SWORD are ready to embark on their journey and I wish them the best. I will keep an eye on them, expecting more tracks like βRealms to Conquerβ. They do have work to do, yet I feel that they do not lack the passion and talent to do it. The future will show.
Check the discussion about the release in our forum pages.