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SKYRAID
Kingdom Of Thall EP

Self-released (2025)
Rating: 4/10

Before Canadian band Skyraid decided to put this EP out they really should have recruited a new vocalist. I don’t know if Blaise Van Humbeck is the real name of the singer or whether he is in this for jokes, but his tuneless display drags this outing into the depths of amateur corniness.

Musically, Kingdom Of Thall is not the worst release you’ll hear, delivering standard 80s styled crustiness daubed in the dim light of sword, sorcery, dungeons and dragons, but there’s no way that you’ll get past the vocals. As the title track chugs in you’ll find yourself scratching your head at the poor timing.

To an extent the badness of the voice gives the EP a punky edge, but it’s still no excuse. The combo rambles through a handful of lower league heavy metal that would not normally see the light of day if it wasn’t for the internet age. Even so, Kingdom Of Thall came my way and it still deserves a mention, mainly for the song ‘Eyes Of An Angel’, with its driving guitar work.

As I said, musically this is quite a solid release – ‘Contamination’ exhibits a punky roughness and ‘Legend Of The Starbeast’ chugs with a dash of menace – but when you’re playing this it is difficult to oversee the warbles. Slot this back into 1985 and those vocals are still too off kilter to enjoy. Maybe next time guys.

Neil Arnold

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