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WARKINGS
Reborn
2018 Napalm Records

WARKINGS are a new power metal project formed of four various metal musicians. I could not figure out exactly who the members of this band were, other than the obvious Georg Neuhauser of SERENITY on lead vocals. So, let it be a mystery for now. Appropriately, the band members take on the identities of historic warriors, and are listed only as: The Tribune (a Roman solider) on vocals, The Crusader (a holy knight) on guitar, The Viking (a berserk fighter) on bass, and The Spartan (a Spartan soldier) on drums.

Fittingly, Reborn begins with “Give ‘Em War”, a dose of high energy melodic speed metal about war. The chugging guitar riffs and a sing-along chorus should be enough to satisfy any power metal fan. The Viking anthem “Never Surrender” is a solid power metal track. Things slow down to a mid-tempo stomp on “Hephaistos”, a hymn to the Greek god of blacksmiths, artisans and fire. WARKINGS kick things back into full speed (with first single released), “Gladiator”, based on the award winning movie starring Russell Crowe. You can view the video for the song on KNAC.COM HERE.

“Holy Storm” is about the holy wars, while “Battle Cry” describes going into battle alone and dying with honor. These songs will appeal to fans of HAMMERFALL for sure, as they are certainly in that band’s style. “Fire Falling Down” is as well, and this track actually kicks all kinds of ass. “Sparta” follows the plot of the movie 300, and features guest vocals from The Queen of The Damned (Melissa Bonny of RAGE OF LIGHT). This is the heaviest track, and in my opinion, one of the most successful tracks on the album. You can view the video for the song on KNAC.COM HERE. “The Final Battle” is probably most representative of the style I would like to hear more of from WARKINGS. This blistering track rages along from beginning to end, and features a memorable chorus, double bass drum attack, and a short but brutal guitar solo from The Crusader. The album has a bonus track (omitted from this promo for some reason), a cover of the piano ballad “Die Flut” (German for “The Flood”) and is sung in German.

Reborn features ten total tracks, at around 45 minutes. While not entirely original, WARKINGS have put forth a solid debut album of songs that are pretty good for the style represented here. While some fans will have a problem with the “gimmick” of WARKINGS, it’s probably best to ignore the band’s image and just listen to the music, which is actually pretty good. Reborn should appeal to fans of traditional/power metal, and has a lot in common with music by bands like FIREWIND, DREAM EVIL, HAMMERFALL and MANOWAR. Also, thumbs up for the cover artwork. Even MANOWAR would be proud of this scene of an undead warrior worshipped by scantily clad women. Deus vult!

3.9 Out Of 5.0