Time Signature Satan is a traditionalist...

Genre: Traditional heavy metal

Yeah, okay, I have a weakness for old school 80s metal! And that's exactly the style that the guys in Lucifer's Hammer have adopted, so obviously I was an instant fan upon first listen.

The opening track 'The Oppression' starts out with what can best be described as an homage to Maiden's 'Where Eagles Dare' and then we're off to a good start in the form of a well-composed and well-performed old school metal song which quickly changes from a midtempo gallop song into an uptempo affair. The album is actually fairly well balanced in terms of tempo with tracks like 'The Oprression', 'The Forest of Tar Tac' and 'Winds of Destiny' being faster peices while 'Illusion' and 'Land of Fire' are midtempo rockers, and 'All Stories Come to an End' and 'I Believe in You' are slower and heavier. All songs are very well composed and there is a clear emphasis on melody, and the tropes of 80s heavy metal are clearly treated with love and respect.

The production is very good. It does have a retrospective feel to it, but is happily free of the reverb that otherwise cheracterized a lot of 80s metal releases. The production actually reminds me a bit of Brats' "1980" album. Lucifer's Hammer are not only good songwriters. They are also good musicians showcasing great musicianship without ever getting wanky or anything like that (I will say that there is a bridge in 'I Believe in You' that for some reason reminds me of Rush - maybe because the bass is given a prominent place in the overall production of the album). There are some really great guitar solos in the vein of Dave Murray on the album as well as twin harmony lead guitar melodies. The vocals might take some getting used to though, but once they get under your skin, it's hard to imagine another singer fronting this band.

In my opinion, this is a near-masterpiece of retro metal, but remember that I'm generally biased when it comes to this genre. Fans of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Stormwitch, Accept and Running Wild shouuld find this album a very enjoyable listen.