Rebel Priest – R’Lyeh Heavy

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REBEL PRIEST is a Rock N' Roll band that comes from the Great White North. They have a lot of energy in their songs and one thing that I find different is that their logo reminds of a Death Metal band and the artwork as well… but they aren't, so this was a good surprise to me. They have recently released their newest album "R'Lyeh Heavy" and that's what we are going to talk about. The opening song from the album is "The Summoning" which is an instrumental song that features a lot of guitar solo and cool grooves on the bass and drums. This song actually reminded me of the early days of IRON MAIDEN.

"Electric Lady" starts out with a cool guitar riff that is soon followed by the drums and it feels like a groovy sound. The vocals are impressive and they fit perfectly the kind of sound they make. I think that the bass could have been a little bit louder. "Sleeping Like A Hangman" starts out with a cool drumming, groovy bass, a Hard Rock riff and screaming vocals. The bass lines are really cool and they lead the song in a very good way. The guitar solo is pretty cool and the vocal lines from the chorus are great. "Elm St" starts out in a faster way than the previous songs. It has a fast guitar riff and its more direct. The drums here are the classical sound from the style, but good. This song has a few different ambiances as it changes its dynamics a couple of times.

"Snake Eyes" starts out with a beautiful clean guitar sound that reminded me of a western kind of movie, but it soon turns into a more aggressive sound. "Emperor" follows the same vibe from the previous one, clean guitar sounds and a good ambiance at the beginning. I thought that this song was a ballad as the vocals start in with a clearer technique and not so much of the drive. But well, don't get fooled as I did… it's totally Rock. "Lighten The Load" starts out with cool drumming that is soon joined by some groovy and funky guitar riff and bass lines. It's funny because this song starts in a way, then it has a more Metal part with even some Thrash Metal kind of riffs for the solo and then it ends in a more Rock way.

"Dead End World" starts out with a nice guitar riff that reminded me of BRYAN ADAMS. This song has more energy and the guitar solo here is really inspiring and good. I liked the vocals here, as it showed that they can sound good even without the driving technique. "Blade Runner (Bonus Track)" is the song that closes the album. It has a different mixing as I could hear. I'm not sure if they have recorded it at the same studio or just tried something different as its a bonus track. Well, it's a good song with a totally 80's vibe here. I think you are gonna like it.

REBEL PRIEST has written and released a good album. The songs sound a little bit similar, but that's not a problem as it doesn't get boring. I think that these guys have a lot more to show and the potential to improve as well. I can't wait to hear more from them. They deserve a try.

Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 8