My listening over the summer was dominated by modern traditional heavy metal. To be completely honest, I am not sure how I arrived at this point. For most, the genre, with its dueling guitar leads and sing along vocal hooks, calls back to childhoods spent listening to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and the like. I have no such feelings of nostalgia. My father listened to Aerosmith CDs on repeat, and the heaviest thing my mother listened to was REO Speedwagon. So, how did I end up crushing Natty Lites in my backyard blasting Blood Star at age 31?

Blood Star – First Sighting

Released on April 21st, 2023

The first band to fit this mold that I found myself deeply invested in was Blood Star from Salt Lake City. On my 31st birthday, I tuned into the Bandcamp radio show The Metal Show while plugging away at my work computer. The featured artist for this episode was Blood Star. To say Blood Star is outside of my typical tastes is an understatement, as it resides amidst a sea of self-serious black metal and screamo in my Bandcamp library. Maybe I was upbeat about my birthday, but here I was enjoying a record that was unabashedly fun.

It started slow at first and then rapidly accelerated. I listened to First Sighting while grilling for friends. I listened to First Sighting while walking to work. Then, I bought the tape. I showed Blood Star to friends, who jokingly said they could not tell if it was a modern record paying homage to classic records or simply a classic record they missed. Before I knew it, First Sighting was my most commonly listened to album on Bandcamp.

For me, the appeal is obvious. Madeleine Michelle is a bona fide powerhouse of a vocalist. Her voice is deeper than you would expect for the genre with a pleasing amount of harshness, and her vocal hooks will burrow themselves deep within your brain. “Fearless Priestess” is my favorite from the record, and the chorus has been stuck in my head for half a year.

https://bloodstarslc.bandcamp.com/album/first-sighting

Smoulder – Violent Creed of Vengeance

Released on April 21st, 2023

Ironically, the second album on this list, Violent Creed of Vengeance, was released on the same day as First Sighting, but it would be months before I gave Smoulder a real chance. I was under the impression that my newfound love would be fleeting. There was no need to find more bands that fit the bill. Blood Star would hold me over for a few months before my brain allowed me to return to its regularly scheduled programming.

Sometime around July, I could not resist anymore. I needed more anthemic choruses. I needed more harmonized guitars. As I dug in to find new artists, one name came up over and over again, Smoulder. The Finnish quintet’s first LP, Time of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring, along with Violent Creed of Vengeance show up in nearly any search for traditional heavy metal.

Where Blood Star will almost never let you go a minute without a hook, Smoulder will give you harmonized riffs with equal frequency. The rhythm section is more of a focal point, as the propulsive drums are the engine behind most tracks, with a perfect example being “Midnight in the Mirror World.” Adam Blake, bass, also seizes the reigns throughout, notably on the album’s final track.

And just like that, a pattern was emerging. This was no brief fling.

https://smoulder.bandcamp.com/album/violent-creed-of-vengeance

Sonja – LOUD ARRIVER

Released on September 23rd, 2022

Over the next few months, I stumbled upon a handful of traditional heavy metal records I came to love. Night Cobra’s Dawn of the Serpent, SHADOWS’ Out for Blood, and Hellripper’s Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags all found their way into my regular rotation. Some have stuck and others have come and gone. Sonja’s Loud Arriver certainly stuck.

Fronted by Melissa Moore, formerly of Absu, Sonja teeters a bit more to the “hair” side of things than other bands on this list with their brisker tempos, more straightforward instrumentation, and lyrics focused in the real world while also bringing in clear goth influences. While we still find ourselves among witchfinders and “gods of rock and roll” are mentioned with a completely straight face, we’ve ditched castles for dark cityscapes, where tales of sexual liberation, self discovery, and combating bigots are more naturally found.

Loud Arriver opens with the moody “When the Candle Burns Low…” before leading into “Nylon Nights,” a proper devil horns in the air banger with an opening riff sure to make any self respecting love of guitar music smile. My personal favorite, “Daughter of the Morning Star,” demonstrates most clearly the marriage between the traditional metal and goth elements, opening with a dance drum beat and chimey arpeggio before the arrival of a soaring vocal melody.

https://sonjaband.bandcamp.com/album/loud-arriver

The seasons changed, and so did my listening. Falling leaves led to bleaker sounds, which you can read about in my November review here. But, I know, when the warm weather returns, filled with evenings cooking outdoors with friends in tank tops and jean shorts, Blood Star, Smoulder, and Sonja will be waiting.

Spotify Playlist