SPEED QUEEN is a band that is part of the NWOTHM that’s been around for quite a while now. This one’s from Belgium, not to be confused with the French AOR band from the ’80s. They finally decided to release a whole album, after a demo, a couple of EPs and singles. After a short intro, the record starts with a fast burner song with gang choruses kinda in the way that KISS specialized them. The riffs in the first track remind me a little bit of RIOT in the ‘Thundersteel’ song. Fast and aggressive solos make this a pleasure enjoyment. You can really get the influences of the band in their playing. There’s some galloping thrown in too, which is always nice for fans of melodic Heavy Metal. The singer has this kind of raspy voice that makes the songs a little better. The guitar solos in here are insanely good. In the track ‘Eye To Eye’ there is some MAIDENesque melodies at the beginning which sound very nice. ‘Chasing Ghosts’ is an interesting one, because it reminds me of IRON MAIDEN’s ‘Phantom Of The Opera’. There are lots of great bands in this movement and like always, there are some of them that don’t deserve your attention. Thankfully this one is one of the good ones. They won’t win any awards for originality, but a pleasurable listen nevertheless. If you’re looking for something new to listen to in the Heavy Metal realm you should give this one at least a try. Specially since there haven’t been that many great traditional Metal albums this year. www.facebook.com/speedqueenofficial, www.facebook.com/hrrecords