Over the weekend, a friend of mine in a group chat asked, “Do you like Eliminator?” Assuming she was talking about the 1983 ZZ Top album, I was about to go into a detailed rant regarding my lengthy love/hate relationship with the diamond certified mega seller (more on that in a future From My Collection), only to find out there’s an English metal band with the same name. What’s next? Afterburner? Degüello? I guess if you get anything out of this review, it’s that ZZ Top album titles make for sweet metal band names, but I digress.
Contrary to their name, Eliminator doesn’t play synth driven southern arena rock. Instead, they specialize in the same Maiden meets Priest traditional metal fare that I have tackled time and time again. Most of these acts are a dime a dozen, to the point where I can write an entire album review based off the opening song. In fact, I almost did so with the band’s latest album, Ancient Light. I’m kidding, of course. That would be a disservice to both you and I. However, I’d be lying if I said the cliché opening track, “Arrival”, didn’t make me too excited for what was to come. Best case scenario, the album grows as it progresses. Worst case scenario, I sit through another half-assed aping of Powerslave.
Thankfully, the former scenario prevails, beginning with the unrelenting Maiden infused power metal of “Silent Stone”. I wouldn’t call Eliminator a power metal band outright, but they sure love exploring the realm. This is heard not just on “Silent Stone”, but cuts like the galloping “Goddess of Light”, graceful “The Sculptor and the Stone Lady”, and high speed “Lady of Sleep, Dreamaster”. One can’t help but hear shades of Jag Panzer and Thundersteel era Riot, which is always a plus in my book. This is largely thanks to the twin guitar attack of Jack MacMichael and Matthew Thomas, harmonies and interplay is the centerpiece of the album.
Along the way are some unorthodox twists and turns. The title track begins as a prog metal ballad of sorts with gothic undertones, before segueing into a full blown Maiden breakdown. “Mercy” is a dark, raging headbanger in the vein of classic Mercyful Fate: a song so strong that it should’ve been the closer. And then we have my choice cut, “The Library”, which can best be described as melodic metal from hell. Think Dokken or Icon possessed by the spirit of the aforementioned Mercyful Fate. The vocals are over the top, the hooks are deadly, and the chorus is to die for. You need to hear it to believe it!
Unfortunately, Ancient Light falls victim to some poor self editing decisions. Its last two tracks, “Foreverless” and “The Nightmare of Aeon”, are about as predictable as its opener. If you *ahem* eliminated these three songs, you’d have a killer old school metal worship album all around. Instead, we’ve got yet another album that’s good, largely hitting the mark, but could’ve been great. Those gripes aside, I’ll be keeping an eye out for Eliminator in the future, and any band named after a ZZ Top album for that matter.
6 out of 10
Label: Dissonance Productions
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate