Madrileño metallers Rave In Fire are a new name to me; Formed in 2015, they released an EP in 2018 but only now have they managed to release a full lengther in the shape of the very pleasant Sons of a Lie.

Eighties-informed hard rocking metal is the aim of the game here, as guitarists Juanjo Negrete and David Insua crank out the Lynchian good stuff; Standout cut Never Forget in particular brings to mind the glory years of Dokken, but for the most part these guys and girls recall a slightly earlier part of the eighties, thanks in main the the smooth vocal presence of Selene Perdiguero.

Perdiguero isn’t your standard metal wailer, although she can certainly handle the band’s heaviest material here as displayed on Never Forget and opening cut Shout. But she does sound more at home on classier material such as the radio rock of Set Me Free or The Healer, where fans of old names like NY metallers Black Lace might hear a few similarities.

If there’s a quibble to be had with Rave In Fire at this point it’s that some of their material leans a little to facelessness; the band clearly don’t want to rely overmuch on guitar pyrotechnics, but at this point they are a couple of truly memorable choruses short of making this an must-have album rather than simply a must-listen-to. That said, there is plenty to enjoy here, as, even at their most mundane the band still manage to engage the listener with singing and playing that is never less than top drawer.

A bright, promising start, then, and Rave In Fire certainly suggest on Sons of a Lie that they have something rather special within them if cracking rockers like Memories are anything to go by. As noted, well worth a listen…

Sons of a Lie releases on April 8th