Certif1ed Mithrandir were a band forging a path of their own among the Judas Priest tribute bands, Quo heads and AC/DC freaks.

This second demo of theirs is an intriguing follow up to the Magick EP, with the early Budgie influence and a light smattering perhaps of Led Zeppelin the only clues as to the roots of the music.

Dreamers of Fortune is a highly unlikely single A-side choice, a mix of jangly folk and groove rock with nice tempo changes and well crafted arrangement details.

After Tomorrow is more of a heads down rocker - and I still find the rather wispy guitar sound I noted on their debut EP the most curious aspect of their overall sound - this is not muscular "look at me" music, this is sensitively crafed hard rock music for the poetic mind with a keen sense of beauty in simplicity. The guitar solo is a masterpiece of this peculiar, somewhat introverted approach.

In summary, this is not something you'd necessarily get into on first listen, largely because of the budget production and limited rehearsal time - and I like it all the more for that.

It's definitely not something you'd be headbanging like a lunatic to either - but that is, after all, only one side of metal. This is the other, more thoughtful side of metal, right at its birth - with the assistance of Budgie, Zeppelin and Rush.