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10 Killer New Age Bands Playing Classic Heavy Metal, Chosen by Sumerlands’ Arthur RizkJaclyn Woollard / Eat Metal / Cruz Del Sur / Skol
10 Killer New Age Bands Playing Classic Heavy Metal, Chosen by Sumerlands’ Arthur Rizk
Loudwire Nights
Loudwire Nights
Published: September 21, 2022
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Arthur Rizk is not only one of the hottest producers in metal right now, he’s also the guitarist in New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal faithfuls Sumerlands and Eternal Champion. And he’s here to share in the glory by schooling you in 10 Killer New Age Bands Playing Classic Heavy Metal.
Around the time I was 8 years old, I was exposed to heavy metal and hard rock via my older cousins from Lebanon. When I learned to play guitar, the first things I learned were Iron Maiden, Scorpions and Metallica and that is the path I’ve stayed on. I’ve been obsessed with a variety of different music since then, but my love for what you would call “classic metal” is eternal.
I’ve picked out 10 bands (all of which are currently active) who play classic metal in the modern day, which is sometimes categorized as NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal). I prefer to just say “heavy metal” because in 100 years, these bands may be considered just the “heavy metal” era alongside Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. After all, Mozart and Beethoven existed over 30 years apart from each other but are considered to be from the same period and they get labeled the same!
Since I am also a producer who works in this genre, I left all the bands I have worked with off of the list out of respect for journalistic integrity and to avoid conflict of interest. I also tried to avoid a lot of obvious bands and highlighted a few that do not have a lot of worldwide recognition.
The NWOTHM playlist Loudwire put together NWOTHM is a killer assortment of current shit from our era and features some I have worked with. It also includes the new Sumerlands single, “Dreamkiller.” Wink, wink!
Okay! Without droning on any further, and in no particular order, here is my list of 10 Killer New Age Bands Playing Classic Heavy Metal!
Thanks to Arthur Rizk for answering the call to defend true steel. Get your copy of Sumerlands’ ‘Dreamkiller’ album here (out now on Relapse) and follow the band on Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp and Spotify. And blast Sumerlands’ “Dreamkiller” below while checking out Rizk’s picks.
Sumerlands, “Dreamkiller”
Head here to listen to Loudwire’s NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal) playlist.
10 Killer New Age Bands Playing Classic Heavy Metal, Chosen by Sumerlands’ Arthur Rizk
Killer Band: Mirror (Cyprus)
Killer Release: ‘The Day The Bastard Leaders Die’ (Cruz Del Sur, 2022)
I saw Mirror play in an abandoned amusement park in Sweden this year at Muskelrock, and it was totally inspiring. After watching a million bands a year you eventually get desensitized and I was on a break from metal in general.
Mirror made me immediately pick up my guitar to start writing and set my heavy metal spirit ablaze. Jimmy Mavrommatis’ voice, memorable choruses, tasteful solos/leads and the influence of the Mediterranean in their genetic makeup had me zooted.
A crude combo of bands I would compare them to would be early Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate and Warlord. Hail Cyprus! These guys also fed the whole audience booze they brought from Cyprus.
Killer Band: Arch / Matheos (Connecticut)
Killer Release: ‘Winter Ethereal’ (Metal Blade, 2019)
Fates Warning wrote, IMHO, the greatest prog/power metal LP — Awaken The Guardian. Some members from that album started a new band in the 2010s and I was utterly shocked when I first heard it — a high end example of how a record from 2019 transcends music from 1986, but exists in a modern hybrid context. This record should be called “Sit down children, don’t quit your day job.” A bit of a cross between Rush, Crimson Glory and Cynic… Pure perfection. Thank you Arch / Matheos!
Killer Band: Black Sword Thunder Attack (Greece)
Killer Release: ‘March of the Damned’ (No Remorse Records, 2020)
Black Sword Thunder Attack were the eighth wonder of the world to me when I heard the 2011 cult demo In Hell’s Reign and remained so until a few years when I first visited Greece. I met their bassist Stelios at a now sadly closed venue in Athens called The Crow Club. It was a sick place with movie memorabilia everywhere and a lot from the movie The Crow — R.I.P.
I later learned they recruited a new singer (Mareike) and were about to release their first official EP with her. This release totally rocked me! The melancholic synth work is flawless Mediterranean dark pop composition, fused with the cold epic vocals of Mareike. I would crudely describe it as somewhere between Manilla Road/Lordian Guard but way more obscure sounding.
Killer Band: Lords Of Triumph (Denmark/ USA [Parts Unknown])
Killer Release: ‘Lost Times’ (Self Released, 2022)
Phil Swanson (Vestal Claret, Solemn Lament, Smith & Swanson, ex-Sumerlands) is one of my favorite songwriters/vocalists of all time — it’s no secret. This band is a collaboration between Phil and another incredible songwriter Martin Sparvath of (another killer band) Altar Of Oblivion.
I am a huge fan of the unassuming epicness of the choirs, the non-traditional choppy drum beats, the general doomed out song writing and the ultra-refined guitar leads. The new EP Lost Times has been on repeat and it’s so sick to hear some current obscure heavy metal with great hooks, both vocally and on guitar.
Killer Band: Claymorean (Serbia)
Killer Release: ‘Sounds From a Dying World’ (Stormspell, 2017)
Claymorean are a recent discovery of mine, going back to the release of their Eulogy for the Gods album in 2021. The vocal lines, sung in English with a Serbian accent, are total earworms that hooked me on my first listen.
I’m often reminded of later Judas Priest and they can be described as a cross between Manowar, Hammerfall and Dark Star. Much respect for prevailing in such a small scene!
Killer Band: Terminus (Ireland)
Killer Release: ‘A Single Point Of Light’ (Cruz Del Sur, 2019)
My blood brother and singer of Eternal Champion, Jason Tarpey, put me onto Terminus. I loved their 2017 record The Reaper’s Spiral, but the newest record captivated me right away. From the first moment, it came in with the ferocity of a death-thrash record, but with power metal vocals. It’s like a mashup of Manilla Road, Twisted Tower Dire and Manowar on the heavier moments.
Killer Band: Blood Star (Utah)
Killer Release: ‘The Fear’ (Shadow Kingdom, 2020)
Blood Star share members with Salt Lake City’s Visigoth, and once I heard that I wasted no time checking them out. The 7” titled “The Fear” is fucking amazing and starts with my favorite kind of heavy metal guitar playing — a fusion of melancholy and power metal.
The vocals are insanely catchy — total earworm city. I can’t help feeling like Madeline’s vocals are slightly country inspired or maybe it is the Utah accent? Maybe it’s Blood Star’s cover of The Highwaymen’s “Silver Stallion” that makes me feel that way. I highly suggest jamming the song below — I have listened to it so many times.
Killer Band: Wrathblade (Greece)
Killer Release: ‘Into The Netherworld’s Realm’ (Eat Metal, 2012)
I mentioned meeting Black Sword Thunder Attack in Greece at The Crow Club, but what I didn’t mention is we (Eternal Champion) were playing with the legendary band Wrathblade that night. I was already a fan, but that night I became a diehard and went home and jammed this record for a month straight. It again relit my heavy metal flame at a time where I was mostly listening to Bee Gees, Abba and Barbara Streisand. Perfect production — raw, heavy and in your face. A cross between Omen, Iron Maiden and Doomsword.
Killer Band: Demon Bitch (Michigan)
Killer Release: ‘Hellfriends’ (Skol, 2016)
Demon Bitch appeared on Fenriz from Darkthrone’s 2016 end of the year list along with Sumerlands and Eternal Champion.
Just three seconds into Hellfriends I thought it was perfectly mixed and at exactly 11 seconds in there was a skip kick drum beat that hit so hard. Logon’s vocals kicked in not too far after and I could not believe what I was hearing — he has the power of Geoff Tate circa Queensryche’s self-titled EP, not that there was any evidence of that inspiration.
The guitar solos fly in and out so quickly that you don’t know what hit you. I was and still am addicted to the record — it is like crack and I am taking a break from writing this article to finish listening to Hellfriends right now.
A cross of Jag Panzer, Agent Steel and early Queensrÿche. Hail Michigan
Killer Band: Graven Rite (Texas)
Killer Release: ‘The Summoner’s Pit’ (Parallel Resonance, 2012)
This band preceded Eternal Champion and was a massive inspiration that lit a fire under my ass. I had been writing demos with the intent to start a band with their singer, Jason Tarpey, and when I heard the finished product that is this Texas metal classic, I just knew I had to work harder to make it worth his time. This record is flawless.
A cross between Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol with some atmospheric elements of Queensrÿche. Hard as fuck above all else and, again, total legends.
Honorable Mentions
There is a massive scene right now and I wish I could’ve made this list 50 bands long. Happy listening!
Hallas (Sweden)
Realmbuilder (USA)
Chevalier (Finland)
Crystal Viper (Poland)
Vultures Vengeance (Italy)
Lethean (U.K.)
Herzel (France)
Daemon Lord (Peru)
Udol (Spain)
Tower (USA)
Reflection (Greece)
Atlantean Kodex (Germany)
Visigoth (USA)
Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2022 (So Far)
More albums have been released in 2022 than there are grains of sand on the world’s beaches. Here’s the best so far!
For this year’s best songs, follow Loudwire’s ‘Best Metal Songs of 2022’ and ‘Best Rock Songs of 2022’ playlists.
Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff
Fit For An Autopsy, ‘Oh What the Future Holds’
Fit For An Autopsy, ‘Oh What the Future Holds’
Nuclear Blast
Fit For An Autopsy, ‘Oh What the Future Holds’
Release Date: Jan. 14
Fit For an Autopsy flesh out the brutal deathcore assault they’ve thus far perfected on their sixth studio album that emerged this year. And while refining the scope of their musical focus, lead vocalist Joseph Badolato gets to test his throaty range on opuses such as “Two Towers” and “Pandora.”
After all, if you’re not growing in a subgenre as aggressively confined as deathcore, the music might just sound dead. Not that Fit for an Autopsy fans would expect anything less from the band that includes in-demand metal producer Will Putney as one of its guitar-chitects. —PT
Shadow of Intent, ‘Elegy’
Shadow of Intent, ‘Elegy’
Blood Blast Distribution
Shadow of Intent, ‘Elegy’
Release Date: Jan. 14
How about a little symphonic metal with your deathcore? The combination isn’t as confounding as it may sound. Mixing the two, Connecticut metalheads Shadow of Intent deliver one of the most inventive heavy albums of the year. Sure, it may not be as sonically violent as their earlier material, but on this record, Shadow of Intent show that deathcore can be classy.
Check out “Life of Exile” or “From Ruin… We Rise” to feel that impact. Or cut over to heavier tracks such as “Where Millions Have Come to Die” and “Intensified Genocide” to rock out. It’s all here for you. —PT
Korn, ‘Requiem’
Korn, ‘Requiem’
Loma Vista
Korn, ‘Requiem’
Release Date: Feb. 4
It’s hard to come up with superlatives for Korn that have yet to be used, but the band keeps cranking out top level work nearly three decades into their stellar career. Adding to that legacy is 2022’s Requiem, an album that ranks among their best latter career releases.
“Forgotten” gets the album off on the right foot, brimming with vitality, while the guitar scratch swing of “Lost in the Grandeur” and the resounding statement of “Start the Healing” were also great picks for singles off the record. But this is a great top-to-bottom listen and we’re hoping that their deeper cuts get some love as well. “Let the Dark Do the Rest” provides a sense of spooky unease that Korn just does so well, while the rhythmic “My Confession” and “Hopeless and Beaten” are tracks that deserve a closer look. — CC
Venom Prison, ‘Erebos’
Venom Prison, ‘Erebos’
Century Media
Venom Prison, ‘Erebos’
Release Date: Feb. 4
Venom Prison are a cocktail of extremity and on Erebos they begin to border on progressive, navigating some really surprising stylistic turns on an album where taking the listener on a journey doesn’t feel like hyperbolic schlock self-hype.
Rather than cramming a a handful of different styles into each track, the U.K. group gives each song here a remarkably strong identity, shifting from adrenalized straightforward death metal to industrial-tinged passages, melodic tremolo picking, bone-snapping grooves, ethereal clean singing and dreamy clean-toned sections.
Erebos is without a doubt Venom Prison’s finest moment yet. —JD
Eddie Vedder, ‘Earthling’
Eddie Vedder, ‘Earthling’
Republic
Eddie Vedder, ‘Earthling’
Release Date: Feb. 11
Eddie Vedder has a voice so distinct that you can pick it out no matter what kind of instrumentation backs it in a song. While most of us are used to hearing him sing along to Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron, his solo material is just as worth of recognition.
On his latest effort Earthling, Vedder recruited the talents of producer Andrew Watt, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, his daughters Olivia and Harper as background vocalists, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, an orchestra and string section and more.
Half of the record has a soothing, acoustic feel to it that makes it the perfect soundtrack for a road trip. “Invincible” is a spirited opener that was deemed worthy of a video collaboration with NASA to promote the test flight of their Artemis Moon and Mars vehicle, “Brother the Cloud” is an emotional tribute to those that the rocker lost and Pearl Jam fans will find a liking to the upbeat tracks such as “The Dark,” “Good and Evil,” “Rose of Jericho” and “Try.”
It’s the most versatile piece Vedder has released on his own, and he really tapped into what it means to be a rock artist. — LS
Bloodywood, ‘Rakshak’
Bloodywood, ‘Rakshak’
Bloodywood Media
Bloodywood, ‘Rakshak’
Release Date: February 18
Bloodywood fix their hold on modern folk metal with Rakshak, the word a Hindi term for “protector,” otherwise the Indian heavy metal band’s debut album. Trust us — the flute has never gone harder. And believe it or not, Bloodywood started as a parody act on YouTube. But their mix of nu-metal with traditional Indian folk was too unique to keep confined to funny videos. Now the band from New Delhi, India, is pulling popularity worldwide with their original tunes, 10 excellent examples of which are collected here. — PT
Allegaeon, ‘Damnum’
Allegaeon, ‘Damnum’
Metal Blade
Allegaeon, ‘Damnum’
Release Date: Feb. 25
At last we are feeling the full force of Allegaeon’s love affair with prog rock. They’d already dished out two Rush covers (one from their ‘90s era, which is even nerdier) and a killer version of Yes’ “Roundabout,” all of which has felt like the training ground for the most expansive moments on Damnum, the sixth album from the tech-death troupe.
There hasn’t been an album with multi-tracked vocals like this probably since Deicide’s Scars of the Crucifix back in 2004. It goes down much better here (mercifully) and Riley McShane delivers the best performance of his career, even more so because of his glistening clean voice and some super low crooning.
Elsewhere, the guitars take command and break the shackles of typical tech-death with classic metal styled shred solos, all with earworm melodies in hyper focus. Damnum is the perfect blend of tech and prog and Allegaeon really feel like they’re in a class of their own with this one. —JD
Bad Omens, ‘THE DEATH OF PIECE OF MIND’
Bad Omens, ‘THE DEATH OF PIECE OF MIND’
Sumerian Records
Bad Omens, ‘THE DEATH OF PIECE OF MIND’
Release Date: Feb. 25
You might remember Virginia metalcore act Bad Omens as the band that left a tour with Senses Fail and The Amity Affliction before it started because of a deal gone bad, reportedly. But that shouldn’t detract from the excellence of Bad Omen’s latest album, a metalcore masterwork of heavy riffs, brutal drums and in-your-face vocals.
It marks a turning point in more ways than one.
Vocalist Noah Sebastian said making the record “changed us as songwriters and musicians. In many ways, I feel like it set me free as an artist because every decision made in the writing process was for myself, with no fear for anyone else’s expectations of what our third album should sound like.” —PT
Corpsegrinder, ‘Corpsegrinder’
Corpsegrinder, ‘Corpsegrinder’
Perseverance
Corpsegrinder, ‘Corpsegrinder’
Release Date: Feb. 25
When word came that Cannibal Corpse frontman George ‘Corspegrinder’ Fisher was releasing a solo album, nobody expected some pretentious, self-indulgent record that would expand anyone’s musical conscience or something akin to Spinal Tap’s fabled Jazz Odyssey.
The real question was what style of death metal would we hear? Because there was never any doubt that it would indeed be a death metal record, right?
With Paths of Possession and Serpentine Dominion, we already heard what Corpsegrinder could do with a bit of a more melodic backdrop. On this self-titled effort, made in conspiracy with Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta and his reliable crew of Charlie Bellmore (guitar, bass) and Nick Bellmore (drums) — both of whom played on Dee Snider’s most recent pair of solo records — we get some slightly hardcore-tinged death metal stripped down to its most essential state.
Loaded burgers with pricey toppings are nice and all, but sometimes just a plain cheeseburger winds up being the most satisfying and that’s what we’ve got here. Respect the neck! —JD
HammerFall, ‘Hammer of Dawn’
HammerFall, ‘Hammer of Dawn’
Napalm Records
HammerFall, ‘Hammer of Dawn’
Release Date: Feb. 25
The title track to the 12th album from Swedish power metal mainstays HammerFall immediately made it clear that this was going to be a bit darker than usual. Amazingly, this first single is an elite balancing act where shades of Manowar, Europe and King Diamond are quite evident and coalesce as an all-time HammerFall song.
With a sense of pomp and the catchy positivity that in part has come to define power metal, HammerFall’s Hammer of Dawn manages to cast a dark cloud over the genre’s fiefdom and creates a sense of ominous doom not often embraced to this extent. There’s still some AOR-leaning moments — HammerFall aren’t out to fully reinvent themselves — because the skies always clear at some point. —JD
Scorpions, ‘Rock Believer’
Scorpions, ‘Rock Believer’
Spinefarm
Scorpions, ‘Rock Believer’
Release Date: Feb. 25
Not due to lack of quality output, Scorpions have made their best album since at least 1990’s Crazy World. Perhaps it’s the extended downtime amid the pandemic as writing continued for what would become Rock Believe, Scorpions’ 19th studio album. Or maybe they really do just have that much, as they say in the opener, “Gas In the Tank” as the veteran German group’s eldest members (singer Klaus Meine and guitarist Rudolf Schenker) thrive in their mid-’70s.
The album cover itself is decidedly old school, albeit dangerously close to the concept on The Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup. The music itself, which spans 11 tracks on the standard edition, harkens back to some old school moments (the psych rock of “Seventh Sun” and “Shining Of Your Soul”) and, overall, maintains a seriously high bar for energy with a
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