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ANCIENT WARRIOR
Ancient Warrior (2022)

Ancient Warrior is a duo from the United States featuring Collin Thomas (vocals, guitar and bass) and Hunter Montoya (drums), and this self-titled demo brings a trio of tracks; ‘Plague Star’, ‘Stone City’ and ‘800 Years’.

The band’s style is interesting, bringing a sound not too dissimilar to say, Haunt, because the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal vibe is strong here, especially on that opening cut.

The vocals can be a touch out of tune at times, but it sort of adds to the charm. There is also something wistful and nonchalant about the music. I understand this is a demo, but everything feels rather relaxed, and at times this means the band lacks an edge. However, I will hold judgement until I hear a full-length album.

None of the songs are overly heavy, just nifty, well executed and slightly ethereal. ‘Stone City’ has a strong early 80s groove where there’s a fluidity to the guitar tone, an effortless glide. Meanwhile, ‘800 Years’ provides the most fire of all the tracks, where the riffage is quintessentially mid-80s, catchy and crisp, while the drums roll effectively.

Ancient Warrior clearly has an eye for melody, so I’ll be keeping an eye on their future releases to see how they develop. Good stuff.

For those interested, the demo can be purchased / streamed here.

Neil Arnold

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