Throughout the recent uprising of young, new bands playing
traditional heavy metal, there still has not been a record as great as White
Wizzard’s first full-length, “Over The Top”. That album perfectly represented
everything that made heavy metal great. It had brilliantly catchy guitar and
vocal melodies, simplistic, yet enjoy riffs, and wicked imagery. White
Wizzard’s next record, “Flying Tigers” was a bit of a different beast in that
the first half of the album was similar to the debut, but the second side of
the record aimed for a more progressive, mature approach to songwriting. On
their newest album, “The Devil’s Cut”, White Wizzard has effectively gone back
to their original sound, with a couple of influences thrown from the stranger
side of “Flying Tigers”.
The one-two punch of “Forging The Steel” and “Strike The
Iron” that kick off this record is easily the most energetic sounding combo of
any album this year. “Forging The Steel” opens with the band paying tribute to
Iron Maiden, with heavy galloping, a strong bass guitar presence, and melodic
leads. Even more impressive is “Strike The Iron”. This track epitomizes what
the role of guitar solos should be in heavy metal. There is a never-ending
supply of shredding on this song. Just when you think there can’t possibly be
another solo, guitarists Will Wallner and Jake Dreyer show up again to let you
know they can play faster than you. Jammed between these wicked shredders are
the powerful vocals of Joseph Michael. I was personally a huge fan of White
Wizzard’s old singer, Wyatt Anderson, but Joseph Michael has done a more than
respectable job in bringing a new voice to the band. He can do all of the
wicked screams that you want to hear, and he can sing appropriately in any
other situation the band finds themselves in. "Strike The Iron" also features a couple of unique guitar melodies that would not have been out of place on "Flying Tigers", and help to differentiate the band a bit from their followers.
Aside from the first two tracks, there are some great
moments on “The Devil’s Cut”. “Torpedo of Truth” is a return to the simple,
upbeat and catchy choruses that dominated the first album. “Kings of the Highway” and “Storm Chaser” both
display a more laid-back sensibility. Those songs are the kind of tunes that
you can put on anywhere and everybody should be able to enjoy, regardless of
their personal music tastes. The closing track, “The Sun Also Rises” is beyond
epic, not unlike “Iron Goddess of Vengeance” from the debut record. Much like
at the end of an Iron Maiden album from the 80’s, when this song nears its end,
you really feel like you’ve gone through a wicked journey with the band. A
couple of the tracks on “The Devil’s Cut” don’t have much staying power (“Lightning
In My Hands” and “Steal Your Mind” are my least favourites), but it doesn’t
mean they don’t rock when they are playing. It is really more of a testament to
the strength of the other seven songs that these two tracks aren’t as memorable
as the rest.
“The Devil’s Cut” is a great return to form for White
Wizzard. While I don’t think “Flying Tigers” was bad, it did get a bit off
track by the end. By contrast, this new record is high quality throughout, and there’s
nothing on this album that is bad or boring. This is one of those albums that
if you can’t enjoy, you probably don’t like heavy metal very much.
Highlights
"Strike The Iron"
"Torpedo of Truth"
"Storm Chaser"
Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.