Led by the redoubtable Norman Skinner – a singer who has seemingly been poised to crash into metal’s major league for an eternity – American metalheads Niviane never let their army of fans down. And, on the evidence of new album Queen of Phantoms, that Army’s recruiting offices are going to be overcome over the next little while as horses more slavering Earthdogs and Rivetheads kick the doors down to join up.

I don’t remember Niviane ever releasing a poor track, but on QOP Norm and his band of leatherclad chums have outdone themselves, creating at least half a dozen tracks fit for many a ‘bigger’ name in the metal world. The run of three tracks in the middle of the album from Beacon In The Darkness through Some Wounds… Never Heal to All Debts Repaid is utterly World Class as the band weave together some spectacular influences to create a timeless sound that won’t fail to win over anyone with ears to hear. Rising Force-era Yngwie meets Crimson Glory? I’ll have some of that!

Gunslingers & Graves is a fabulous effort, too, mining a nice modern speed/power metal seem that’s been profitably mined by Riot V recently, but if truth be told Skinner’s vocal versatility means that Niviane don’t really sound too much like any of the opposition currently. Sometimes his layered vocal tracks sound like a full-on orchestral choir and it takes the breath away to realise that it’s the work of one man – have a listen to the storming title track for proof…

Similarly guitarists Gary Tarplee and Mark Milner are on the absolute top of their game, augmenting even the most prosaic material with magnificent lead work and harmony runs. The classic trad metal soloing in 12 BC: Legions in particular gets the fingers twitching, but I’m sure you’ll pick your own highlights. It won’t be hard…

Eleven tracks, then, and not a hint of weakness to be detected among them. This is a riotous celebration of everything we love about ‘proper’ heavy metal, a no-holds barred exposition of flash and finesse, muscle and might. If you are not thrashing around your living room as Tyler Satterlee’s bass croaks in an out of Isiah AR’s peacock-proud drum assault at the start of 12 BC: Germania then I’m pretty sure you’re reading the wrong web-based heavy metal magazine. And if you are, well – it’s bloody great, isn’t it?



Queen of Phantoms is out today.