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1.  Conquest
2.  Alone Again
3.  Sonic Attack
4.  Wasteland
5.  Soldiers of the Dawn
6.  Motor Maniac

Total playing time:  29:47

Release Date: December 13, 2011
Label: Heavy Artillery Records

Metalian - Rock Solid

Reviewer: Chris

December 13, 2011

Keeping the line of near-perfection going strong, Heavy Artillery proves time and again to be a label that doesn’t hedge bets or fray edges. It seems every band that is fortunate enough to sign with them is high-end merchandise and Canada’s Metalian is no exception.

Calling upon the ancient sound of Judas Priest or early (and still relevant) Queensryche, Metalian punishes the masses with its first H.A. effort in Rock Solid, which is a spot-on title in terms of the music herein. The familiar riffs straight out of Hell Bent for Leather or Stained Class remind the metal fanatic of the days of yesteryear when heavy metal was first mainstream and held the minions in the decrepit palms of well-worn hands. Those days of arena rock are long gone, yet the sparse few bands that keep the tradition strong are still pummeling the ear drums of we chosen few.

Vocalist and guitarist Ian Wilson hits the highs in all the right spots for artistic effect as opposed to pomp, elevating him just above the norm to showcase the unit’s tenacity rather than his own brow-raising abilities. He also manages to keep his even tone strong and engaging throughout the album. The riff in “Sonic Attack” sounds so much like the aforementioned Stained Class-era it’s simply astounding. Rather than rip off the Downing/Tipton assault note for note, Wilson goes on autopilot and takes the best of these founding fathers and disseminates a fastidious homage in the form of six tracks that are as relevant in sound and style today as they were in 1978.

There’s such a refreshing mixture of old guard meeting young lions here that oldsters like me can be assuaged and lulled accordingly and younger folks can find total refuge in the songs. “Wasteland” is also a ‘dated’ piece in both vocal style and familiar NWOBHM guitar work, but the timelessness is complimented by the attention to relevance and fused generational gaps. To complete the rounded sound, “Soldiers of the Dawn” could well be a Queensryche track off The Warning or even the EP; the slight progressive feel meshes well with the early 80’s metal feel and makes for a powerful scope by which to compare and contrast.

It boggles the mind to think this band has been plugging away with two demos, a couple of splits, one self-released full-length and now this traditional treasure and didn’t find a good label before now. Then again, as you all know from my gushing love affair with Heavy Artillery, this label sniffs out the promising and integral bands to showcase and push, so it’s a win-win for both.

Any fan of the mighty Priest, Queensryche, Fate’s Warning or even early Iron Maiden (listen to the main riffs in “Wasteland”) will certainly dig Metalian for simply channeling all that is good and pure in heavy metal music in the modern day. We need all of the honesty we can get today, so I suggest you check out this terrific addition to the long lineage left in limbo for too long.