Well folks, after years of championing them on these here virtual pages, the day has finally arrived: Hitten is playing the Windy City! Of course, it’s as support for the first band we ever reviewed, Haunt (click for some grade A cringe; I like to think I’ve grown as a writer since!), and on a run built around festival appearances at Hell’s Heroes and 2 Minutes to Tulsa, but hey, a tour’s a tour! It also just so happens that Hitten shares a member with today’s band in review, Vigilhunter, who while also being an ’80s metal throwback band, draws from a different side of the spectrum.
Whereas Hitten have settled quite comfortably into a hook-heavy brand of Dokken-esque glam metal, Vigilhunter sounds like a sort of early prog-power hybrid of Crimson Glory and Queensrÿche, and if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. Frontman Alexx Panza does his best Midnight impersonation throughout, hitting some earthshattering highs without ever sacrificing melody and soul. Funny enough, Panza also doubles as guitarist in this new venture (I didn’t even know he played!), laying down some blatantly Michael Wilton/Chris DeGarmo flavored riffs and leads alongside Mattia Itala. Take their blatantly retro nature and Italian roots into consideration, and one might be shocked High Roller snatched them up before Frontiers did.
As for their self titled debut album, Vigilhunter offers little in terms of innovation, but as far as pure ’80s worship goes, it definitely hits the spot. The opening “Disconnected” establishes the nostalgic mood early on, sounding caught somewhere between Queensrÿche’s The Warning and Rage for Order eras with its dynamic twin leads and operatic vocals. The anthemic “Titan Glory” follows, sounding straight off Crimson Glory’s eponymous debut, balancing colossal USPM with subtle progressive undertones. This template is expanded upon throughout, with Vigilhunter boasting a real knack for anthems. Heck, “Curse of the Street” even taps that “Let’s unite the youth!” vein, executed by the aforementioned acts, as well as Quiet Riot (“The Wild and the Young”) and Leatherwolf (“The Calling”).
Throughout the course of its 40ish minute runtime, Vigilhunter never really lets up, and even when it does, so to speak, it still slaps, like on the obligatory power ballad, “Sacrifice for Love”. Seriously, somebody within the Frontiers ranks is getting fired for letting these guys slip through the cracks. “So Cold…It Burns” and “The Downfall” are nostalgic blasts of arena metal nostalgia, while the uptempo “Shadow Rider (Vigilante)” and aptly titled “Outburst of Rage” are the most blatantly USPM moments within, guaranteed to get our neck muscles working overtime!
For what it is, Vigilhunter is a fun and feelgood traditional metal album, sounding straight out of the mid ’80s, thanks to its crystal clear production to its emphasis on melody above brute force. The songs are strong, the band is firing on all cylinders, and what they lack in originality, they make up for in neon-lit charm. Considering his busy schedule with Hitten and Jack Starr’s Burning Starr, we shall see if Panza embarks upon Vigilhunter as a full blown band. In the words of Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused, “It’d be a lot cooler if he did!”
8 out of 10
Label: High Roller Records
Genre: Progressive Heavy/Power Metal
For fans of: Crimson Glory, Queensrÿche, Leatherwolf
Leave a Reply