SCAVENGER
Beyond The Bells
(No Remorse Records)
48:41min

SCAVENGER’s “Beyond The Bells” was an absolute blind one for me. I wanted to check this out, because of the cover art and little did I know what I had gotten into. Belgium’s SCAVENGER’s “Beyond The Bells” is a quality Heavy Metal album. The band released their last and only full length in 1985. In the current 2024 version, none of the original line-up are part of the band anymore and well it is what it is. Coming to the music itself, SCAVENGER’s musicianship is top notch and I really have to talk about the guitar solos. It feels like a journey into ET’s homeland, the endless solos simply lay waste to everything in the way. The guitars are storytellers themselves and meander through the listening fields with ease and authority. Every single song has absolutely outstanding traditional guitar work that a generic Heavy Metal fan would absolutely go crazy for. Granted, this isn’t new or groundbreaking but SCAVENGER’s NWOBHM coupled with traditional Metal approach is an absolute delight. There is never a boring moment on the album. The front woman of the band is relentless and most importantly her voice has essentially fused into the sound of the band. The rhythm section is the strongest, I can hear the beautiful tone of the bass and the drumming is perfect. Every instrument has sufficient space to both breathe and shine. Of course, the guitars overshadow a lot of the band and I’m saying that in a nice way, when you’re writing such phenomenal traditional parts, it is important the focus is appropriately put on you. The closest comparisons in my book are homegrown stars STRIKER and RIOT CITY. I’ll probably put SCAVENGER behind them, because I’m a massive fan of both STRIKER and RIOT CITY. Anyway, “Beyond The Bells” is a terrific album. The musicianship is top notch, the production is kickass and the writing is great. Would it however be my first choice if I wanted to hear some Heavy Metal? Perhaps not, that could easily be my own bias for Canadian Heavy Metal bands which I support through and through. Regardless, SCAVENGER’s effort is truly appreciated and I hope they tour and keep writing more music. I like purpose driven Heavy Metal and SCAVENGER seems to be on a mission here. www.facebook.com/scavengerofficialband, www.facebook.com/noremorserecordsgreece

Vamsi Kanagovi

Vamsi Kanagovi

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