This latest release from Rise Above Records comes from Swedish band Saturn, an outfit that treads a similar path to Witchcraft and Graveyard. What, were you expecting goregrind?
Beyond Spectra is the band’s second album, following their debut, Ascending, from 2014. The 46-minute effort begins on a retro-metal note, with “Orbital Command” sounding like vintage Priest, or modern-day worshippers like Spell outta Vancouver. The vocalist really wants to be Rob Halford, and to his credit, he does hit a couple extended falsettos. Second track “Wolfsson” takes more of a Pentagram proto-doom approach, but throws in a more traditional metal solo.
Some of these song titles could only come from a band that speaks English as its second language. “Nighttime Badger” is a mellower retro rocker with shades of Graveyard, while “Electrosaurus Sex” is a pretty decent mishmash between Witchcraft and The Sweet, with a couple Halford wails thrown in for good measure. “Helmet Man” is straight-ahead chug-a-lugger that almost sounds glam (think Bowie more than Motley) were it not for the duelling lead guitars and occasionally more aggressive vocals.
“Force of the North” gallops along like Iron Maiden, or even Manowar, with the none-more-metal refrain of “Die by the sword/Force of the north/Die by the force” Yeah, that’s not cheesy at all…
