Cruz del Sur Music has long piqued my interest. With the exception of maybe an uneven release here or there, this is a label who specializes in only the highest quality of true and traditional metal. The dilemma therein is that by dropping such prime cuts of metal this late into the year, it’s bound to jumble the order of us online metal journalists’ year end lists. That’s right folks. It’s almost that time of the year again, and I can promise you today’s album in review will be featured on my year end list.
Tower is a heavy metal band from New York City, although you’d be forgiven for thinking they were a lost NWOBHM relic circa 1980. Their 2016 self titled debut quickly became a favorite of mine, with its energetic amalgamation of raucous hard rock and pure heavy metal. And then they more or less disappeared. After a couple years off the scene, Tower returned with a 2019 EP, Tomorrow and Yesterday, before cementing their status in the traditional metal underground with their latest album, Shock to the System. With each subsequent release, Tower shows substantial growth and development. This isn’t a knock at their past material, which is highly enjoyable. If anything, it’s a testament to their perseverance.
Shock to the System lives up to its name, opening up with the high voltage power of “Blood Moon”. This is how you grab a listener’s attention. The Diamond Head inspired riffing and drumming take hold, while the over the top Lemmy meets Doro vocals of frontwoman Sarabeth Linden serve as the figurative cherry on top. Throughout the first half of the album, the band doubles down on this NWOBHM oriented approach (i.e. “Running Out of Time”, “Lay Down the Law”), but aren’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone, as evidenced by the towering (no pun intended) “Prince of Darkness”. Dark, doom laden, and ominously atmospheric, “Prince of Darkness” comes off like a lost song from Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules sessions.
Towards the second half, Tower starts to incorporate the hard rock leanings of their past, but without ever going into full blown hard rock territory. Matter of fact, I wouldn’t even say they ever go into heavy metal/hard rock territory. Shock to the System is straightforward heavy metal with occasional hard rock undertones. These undertones are heard on “Hired Gun”, “The Black Rose”, and “Powder Keg”, which all bear the mark of Motörhead. You can practically feel a leather clad hand grip around your neck as these rock n’ rollers blast through your eardrums. These cuts and others are further amplified by a loud and clear production, courtesy of Sasha Stroud. There’s no pointless muddled, modern muddiness here!
Tower is a band who not only deserves your attention, but demands it. Their riffs and hooks don’t come off as NWOBHM worship, but rather go toe to toe with the finest bands of that legendary era. Add to that a badass singer and you’ve got a recipe for success. If you’re a fan of old school hard rock and heavy metal, you’d be a fool to not check out Shock to the System. And you know what Ronnie James Dio said about fools…well, he said a couple things. If you listen to them, the mob rules. They also all sailed away. That closing sentence was supposed to be a reference to the former, in case you were wondering. *sigh* Uhhhh…how do I close this out now? Oh yeah. Long live rock n’ roll and long live Tower!
8 out of 10
Label: Cruz del Sur Music
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Diamond Head, Angel Witch, Iron Maiden