For the sake of complete transparency, Vultures Vengeance are one of those bands whose name I heard echoed by the NWOTHM crowd for a split second in the late ’10s, only for said crowd to move onto the next hot trend. As a result, I never got around to checking them out, even though their name occupied space on the endless “bands to explore” list that every self-respecting metalhead has on the notes section of their phone. So come a few months ago, when I received the press kit for their long awaited sophomore album, Dust Age, I figured better late than never to hop aboard the VV bandwagon.
Upon further investigation, the Vultures Vengeance of 2025 is a world apart from the band who released 2019’s The Knightlore. In the 6 years since their last full length, the band has gone through a complete changeover of personnel, save for founding guitarist/singer Tony T. Steele (What a pseudonym!). Joining him in this “new and improved” VV are drummer Damian Baldasso, bassist Claudio Scialabba, and guitarist D.D. Fury (Again, 10/10 pseudonym). Together these four have created the first true metal masterpiece of 2025, and the standard by which every traditional metal album I review onwards this year is to be measured by.
From top to bottom, Dust Age is pure power metal at its most anciently enchanting. Fusing the muscle of the early US scene with the grandeur of the early euro scene (i.e. Running Wild, Helloween, etc.), Vultures Vengeance treat us to 8 songs of stainless steel, guaranteed to cut through your mortal enemy with ease. The opening power/speed blast of the title track bears a strong resemblance to Running Wild’s Death or Glory era, boasting meticulous guitar work and next level pomp. From there, it’s an absolute marathon of gloriously retro hymns that draw from the over the top anthemic (“Queen of the Last Light”) to the subtly technical (“The Exiled”).
As far as the individual performances go, Steele’s vocals sound closer to Crimson Glory’s Midnight (rest in power) than just about anyone else I’ve heard in my lifetime. Couple this with guitarwork that toes the line between meticulous melodies and colossal shredding, and a genuine ’80s production job, and the Crimson Glory comparisons are more than apparent on cuts like “Those Who Sold the World” and “City of a Thousand Blades”: Songs so huge that no arena can contain their power. The gallop-laden “Reign of Severance” gives off “Armored Saint when they actually wore armor” vibes, while “The Foul Mighty Temple of Men” again taps that valorous power/speed vein. Headbanger mania has never been classier, or at least not since Annihilator’s Alice in Hell (1989).
As the epic balladry of “It Holds” brings this opus to a close, one can’t help but be in awe of Dust Age‘s brilliance. While the comparisons to those aforementioned ’80s legends are plain as day, Vultures Vengeance manages to take these tropes of yesteryear and reinvent them in a way that’s as compelling and original as the acts who inspired them in the first place. What can I say NWOTHM-heads? You were right about hyping up these guys! Then again, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
10 out of 10
Label: High Roller Records
Genre: Power Metal
For fans of: Crimson Glory, Running Wild, Queensrÿche
Leave a Reply