Time Signature Invader invades the new millennium...

Genre: traditional heavy metal

Originally released in 1992, the Seattle-based's eponymous debut and, to date, only album was reissued on Pure Underground last year (and rumors have it that the band are working on material for their second album).

Although not at all relevant for the time it was released (remember the 90s was the anti-metal age of grunge), there is actually a lot of good material on "Invader". And, of course, the album is 100% relevant nowadays as metal has returned to glory and grunge sits in a dark corner, depressed, and stares into its own belly-button. And, at the end of the day, who cares about relevance, when it is the music itself that counts?

On "Invader" the American band offers up traditional metal with inspiration from the likes of Iron Maiden and King Diamond. The riffage itself is mostly of the classic metal kind, which can - of course - never go wrong, with a couple of hints of US power metal, as hear in, for instance, 'The Uncontrollable Fire'. Mostly riff-driven metal, there are a couple of ballady tracks, which are best left unmentioned, simply because they are sub par to the hard rockers (well, the epic ballad 'Legends' is actually pretty good).

The musicianship is pretty good, but the production is, understandably, quite unpolished. Over-the-top King Diamond-inspired vocals are perhaps a bit too hysterical for my ears, and they are definitely an acquired taste. But once they click with you - that has yet to happen for me - I am sure you wouldn't want them any other way.

A bit of gem, and definitely featuring some good music, Invader's debut album certainly deserved to be reissued, and fans of obscure US metal are bound to enjoy it.