Project Terror - Conquistador

Project Terror

Conquistador

by Marcus Kemp at 04 August 2014, 10:23 PM

You know, when I heard the word Texas, I immediately think of wild west saloons, tumbleweeds and the type of thing you’d see in those old Wild West movies set in Texas so I was quite surprised to see that I’d be reviewing an album from a Texan band. A Power Metal band from Texas no less. The band in question is a new band that goes by the name of PROJECT TERROR and their debut album is called “Conquistador” released on Pure Steel Records this year.

Formed in 2009 by the lead singer Ronnie Stixx who previously sung with the legendary VICIOUS RUMOURS band, PROJECT TERROR is a new Power Metal band who so far have released a four song demo featuring songs from “Conquistador” and now here in 2014 we have the finished versions along with four more tracks totaling eight spanning across 38 minutes. So, is this worth a 5 year wait since their formation or should they have needed more time to record more music? Let’s dive in and find out.

Well straight off the bat, I’m going to give this album points for the music as it’s very heavy which is what you would expect from a Power Metal band as there are lots of shredding guitars, pounding drumbeats and groovy basslines which attack you straight away in the opening track “Breaking the Spell” before launching straight into the title track “Conquistador” the moment the opening track ends.

Judging by the way the second track starts the moment the first one ends, this is one of those album where the music is flowing continuously so there’s never a pause in between songs and if there is, it’s only for like a second or two before the next track comes at you. A continuous flow of music is a good thing especially if it is good which I have to say it is good but what about the vocals? I’m sad to say that the vocals are the only downside in this album.

Make no mistake, the music is great and it sounds like a Power Metal albums should do but I think at times the singer tries a bit too hard and at times, Ronnie Stixx and his vocals are lost in the mix and sometimes you cannot hear what he is saying as it sounds very jumbled and messy in various intervals. Also, when he does scream in a few songs, namely the song “Killing Machine”, he cannot pull it off as sometimes the pitch goes too high so it does hurt your ears and you have to turn your speakers down.

That’s not to say the vocals completely destroy the music as the singer does try hard but I think that he needs a bit more practice and time to adjust his voice from singing in one band to singing in another. Also, the production on his vocals could have been a bit better but that said, it’s not bad for what it is but given a few more tweaks, it could turn out to be something great.

So, it’s verdict time. The music is punchy and heavy in true Power Metal fashion and it will leave you wanting more which it gains points for but a few points are lost with the vocals which have potential but needs a few tweaks in both the performance and the mixing. “Conquistador” by PROJECT TERROR is not bad for a debut from a new Power Metal band but given a few tweaks in the vocal department, this band will be able to do a bit better for the next album.