Times of Pride and Peril Holy Grail 2016 Prosthetic Records Times of Pride and Peril is the third studio album by American metal band Holy Grail. Holy Grail are great at what they do, they play a form of Heavy Metal that has its roots in classic Metal. However, it is a little different, Holy Grail tweak their sound with Power Metal style vocals, whilst the music flirts between Thrash Metal and at times Death Metal. Holy Grail sound the best when they’re on top notch Power Metal form and Times of Pride and Peril is full of Power Metal style anthems that hark back to a medieval era of kings, knights, castles and crusades. The sound of Times of Pride and Peril is very late 1980’s and is produced by John Spiker. Spiker manages to give Times of Pride and Peril a huge retro feel whilst Holy Grail themselves add a very modern twist to their sound that would make Times of Pride and Peril appeal to both old metal fans and the newer generation. As an album Times of Pride and Peril is easy to listen to, the songs are done in a true Power Metal style which makes them full of hooks and memorable. Crystal Kings, Sudden Death, Those Who Will Remain, Descent into the Maelstrom, No More Heroes and Pro Patria Mori are all highlights from Times of Pride and Peril, each song contains a mountain of talent and a sound that carries the album on its own. The only song on the album that doesn’t seem to fit is the final track, Black Lotus. Holy Grail decide to swap out 40 minutes of Power Metal vocals for a 10 minute record that contains some excellent twin guitar harmony work that would make Iron Maiden proud and finish the song with Death Metal growls and as much as it works, it doesn’t fit the overall theme of Times of Pride and Peril. As a band Holy Grail is formed from ex-members of White Wizzard. Vocalist James Paul Luna, and drummer Tyler Meahl are ex-White Wizzard alumni and are joined on Times of Pride and Peril by bassist Blake Mount and guitarists Alex Lee and Eli Santana. Holy Grail stretch out on their own and should definitely not be compared to White Wizzard, the new additions to Holy Grail bring their own metal elements to the band giving a different sound. Luna’s vocals are maybe not suited to Power Metal, but they work, his vocals manage to be high and soaring whilst still having that modern and almost scratching in his throat, this sound gives Luna the sound that he really has a passion and cares about what he sings. Holy Grail offer something else on Times of Pride and Peril and it comes from the musicians themselves. As mentioned above, Holy Grail give a modern twist to their songs and certain songs, such as Psychomachia and No More Heroes manage to make Lee, Santana, Mount and Meahl nod back to …And Justice For All era Metallica whilst giving it the modern sound of post-millennium Slipknot with breakdowns that contain a great concentration on time signature changes, exceptional tom work and blast beats on the double bass. However, Holy Grail manage to make this sound like their own and perfectly blend their mixture of Power Metal with a modern twist perfectly. Times of Pride and Peril is a good album. It is Power Metal for the 21st century, cutting and pasting from different genres to create a very modern sound that is bound to appeal to metal fans both old and new alike. 7/10 Adam No More Heroes (Holy Grail)
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