Spanish metallists Rosslyn peddle an endearingly naive, irony-free brand of heavy metal. They sing of the middle ages, the Roman Empire, pirates… all the good metal stuff.

But whilst their straight-faced lack of irony might cause ripples of amusement to run through the ranks of those who consider themselves to be rather ‘hip’, here in the real world, where people value things like integrity and the ability to peel off a hummable guitar solo on demand, Rosslyn are sure to find a welcoming home.

Rosslyn reach for the stars on every track here, regardless of the fact that their recording budget doesn’t cover a fraction of their ambition; so, whilst wannabe epics like The Eighteen Charms creak under the weight of unreasonable expectation on the part of the band themselves, the underlying truth – that they can pen a rousing metal tune – remains triumphant.

You absolutely know that in the live arena, every one of these tracks will slay. So it’s easy to overlook the basic nature of the production, which fails to bolster Borja Callejas‘ voice as much as it deserves, or give the requisite thunderous snap to the snare of Mikel Insausti. Dancing On My Grave is genuinely exciting, for instance; Coming on like a mix of second Bruce-era Maiden and something that Russia’s Aria might have come up with, it rattles along at a nice pace, with Jorge Martinez adding nice guitar flourishes and José Luis Lorente plugging the gaps left by the lack of a second guitarist with aplomb.

If you love heavy metal – and, let’s face it, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t – it’s impossible not to listen to tracks like Age Of The Plague (Totentanz) without a sixty mile smile on your dial. In heavy metal terms, Rosslyn are as pure as it gets, their dedication to the cause unquestioned. And that demands respect and recognition, not to mention gratitude.

 

Totentanz releases on April 11th.