{"id":104517,"date":"2025-01-31T00:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T00:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=104517"},"modified":"2025-02-12T13:09:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T13:09:56","slug":"album-review-blackslash-heroes-saints-fools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-blackslash-heroes-saints-fools\/","title":{"rendered":"BLACKSLASH – Heroes, Saints & Fools (2025) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

BLACKSLASH
Heroes, Saints & Fools<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nIron Shield \/ Fucking Kill (2025)<\/span>
Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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These German dudes have been loitering about since 2007, so if you missed them then you\u2019ve got some catching up to do. Heroes, Saints & Fools<\/em> is the fifth full-length instalment from the combo and it\u2019s indicative of today\u2019s heavy metal scene. I say this because Blackslash are undeniably consistent but swamped somewhat in a genre of 80s throwbacks.<\/p>\n

Just two years short of being in the business for two decades, Backslash, so you would think, should be better placed in the leagues of the genre, but, while stable, they are proof of how difficult it is to progress to any sort of recognition. Even so, Heroes, Saints & Fools<\/em>, like previous efforts, is a strong metal opus for fans of Judas Priest and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal era, particularly early Iron Maiden.<\/p>\n

Throughout this platter the tone is high and crisp as the lads deliver catchy, melodic galloping tune after tune. There are however pros and cons to such compositions. Some of the tracks \u2013 particularly \u2018The Watcher\u2019 \u2013 are brisk, airy and nostalgic, while other songs boast a steely menace, for example \u2018Black Widow\u2019, but such vibes may prove all too familiar, derivative and uneventful for some.<\/p>\n

Blackslash is clearly one of those acts keen to pay homage to the 80s so their intentions are clear, but with so many bands of this ilk cluttering the genre when does it reach saturation? I\u2019m not trying to make an example out of Backslash, but simply identifying an issue. Having said though the band is keeping the heavy metal flag flying and I do believe a lot of listeners will overlook the negatives and happily join the quintet in their quest.<\/p>\n

Backslash do it better than most, prime examples being \u2018Sacrificed\u2019 with its streetwise, almost M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce-ish sneer, and \u2018Die By The Blade\u2019 which has a power metal oomph, particularly in the hard drums and rich vocals. There\u2019s a lot here to warm to. The opening canter of the title track is somewhat formulaic yet enchanting, and the same could be said for \u2018\u6771\u4eac (Tokyo)\u2019, while \u2018Where Are We Heading To?’ is so accomplished in its axe work that it wouldn\u2019t seem out of place on some late 80s shred album.<\/p>\n

Backslash do leave the best cut for last though, the darker, more brooding aesthetics of \u2018Maniacs And Madmen\u2019, a fiery slab of varying tempos and nostalgic glows. A fine way to cap off what is essentially a standard but ebullient outing by a band which deserves more attention than it has received over such a long period.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BLACKSLASHHeroes, Saints & Fools Iron Shield \/ Fucking Kill (2025)Rating: 7\/10 These German dudes have been loitering about since 2007, so if you missed them then you\u2019ve got some catching up to do. Heroes, Saints & Fools is the fifth full-length instalment from the combo and it\u2019s indicative of today\u2019s heavy metal scene. I say […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,5866],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-blackslash"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104517"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104518,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104517\/revisions\/104518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}