AMETHYST
Throw Down The Gauntlet
(No Remorse Records)
41:23min

Fistful of catchy riffs and rocky anthemic songs will haunt you if you are not prepared to embrace the new offering from Switzerland’s AMETHYST. The quintet of Hardrockers and Heavy Metallers returns with a delightful debut entitled “Throw Down The Gauntlet.” A new effort to reclaim the true Metal spirits territory, following their success EP “Rock Knights”, that was released in 2022. Their comeback means serious business to take you NWOBHM maniacs further back somewhere in time. The golden years when soaring guitar harmonies, pumping bass lines, energetic drumming and unparalleled vintage vocal delivery made a grand entrance in the world of Metal. As soon as you throw down the first two tracks, ‘Embers On The Loose’ and ‘Stand Up And Fight’, the immense feeling of retro Metal will give you an absolute attitude to crank up your stereo at the maximum volume. There are definitely great traces of legendary THIN LIZZY and IRON MAIDEN in their camp, but this band is definitely not overshadowed by the legacy of their predecessors. AMETHYST seems to attempt to rekindle the essence of Rock, then paving their own way for the glorious Metal flame. Moving on to the next surprises, ‘Won’t Do It Again’ and ‘Running Out Of Time’, they are still keeping the energy of the album strong. The third track is equally fiery with hard-rocking passion from the previous two. The dual guitar work is tasteful. All of the melodies provide a rich atmosphere for the composition. Same method in the fourth song; you can sense that this particular track is growing with remarkable guitar riffing. A sturdy foundation for the other instruments to take the wheel and conjure up Heavy Metal magic that plays a huge part of their album’s charm. One of the most unrivaled factors of AMETHYST is probably the vocal placement and patterns. ‘Rock Knights’ and ‘Queen Of A Thousand Burning Hearts’ are great examples to learn their way to make some anthemic song wonders. These days are truly tough to forge cool choruses that are easy to digest and appreciate at the same time, like they did. Once some bands could use the formula, it could be another new testament that their opus is an enjoyable and rocking listen. Stepping into the last two songs, ‘Take Me Away’ and ‘Serenade (Under The Rising Moon)’. Another feast of rabid riffs and crazed harmonies storming with menace beneath the inevitable energy of “Throw Down The Gauntlet” cannot be ignored. There is almost no dull moment throughout these tracks. Each song exudes nostalgic sentiments of the untouched wilderness of traditional Metal that is wailing on your dark walls. Every bar of the song structure has sort of palpable sense of belonging in the glory days of the ’70s Rock and ’80s Metal era that is brilliantly captured in no pretentious way. As a whole, “Throw Down The Gauntlet” is the true energy and the spark of hard rocking Metal this year. They never forget to adjust hard-to-forget elements to their engaging tracks. Each player has their own signature to elevate the game. No random fashion, no weak passion and no false Rock Knights that come out of this album. A pleasant surprise so far this year and an exciting opus all the way through. The production is very dynamic on the entire album. It complements the thunderbolt of their song progression very well. The band is now recognizable and has a soul of defenders of the faith. That being said, I command you to check this out through No Remorse Records! www.facebook.com/amethystrockknights, www.facebook.com/noremorserecordsgreece

Yoga Ghotama

Yoga Ghotama

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