Even as we find ourselves in an underground realm where anything feels possible, it can be all too easy to feel like a given sound isn’t nearly as active as it should be for one reason or another. Heavy metal, for all intents and purposes, is something that demands quality greatly over quantity, yet one cannot help but yearn for more. We already know that new blood can inject real fire into the veins of the style itself given the right approach and the proper headspace, and I believe that’s a big part why great works of heavy metal feel few and far between. Real glory takes meticulous attention to detail and tons of time to bake before being pulled out of the oven, ready to be greedily devoured by listeners. With what’s only their first full-length album, Dragon Skull deliver precisely what many of us have been salivating for.

I oftentimes find myself wishing for a new effort from the likes of Visigoth, Eternal Champion, Smoulder; unwavering beacons of modern heavy metal. It can be difficult to understand and be patient with the fact that in order to channel that original flame of heavy metal that we’ve fallen in love with many times over, you need to do it right. Incredibly few are able to do so in such a capacity that leaves a magnificent impression with what Dragon Skull has accomplished in this album more than qualifying as an exceptional work right from the very beginning. Quickly tapping into the deep melodic factor that has always made top tier heavy metal nothing to underestimate in the slightest, “Chaos Fire Vengeance” never once shies away from pulling more than a little bit of influence from the adjacent realms of power metal to make for a performance that is nigh on enrapturing for the listener. Across the absolute entirety of these eight tracks that touch upon much of what fantastical, epic heavy metal has always been known for, it is never once that Dragon Skull misses an opportunity to deliver greatness that is just intoxicating to lose yourself within. It’s overflowing with power and captivation. Much of the competition could only hope to hold a torch to what Dragon Skull has pulled off here with each track of “Chaos Fire Vengeance” nothing short of precisely what many of us are constantly longing for and aren’t likely to let go of once we discover it.

Adhering to the original notions of the genre while making damn sure to put their own personality into every inch of the work, it’s throughout “Chaos Fire Vengeance” that we see what’s hopefully the birth of one of the next best things to come about in modern heavy metal. Dragon Skull is a name we must remember lest we miss out on a show that we will greatly regret not experiencing firsthand.

LISTEN to “Chaos Fire Vengeance” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Dragon Skull on Facebook here.