Time Signature Defcon 1...

Genre: speed metal

The debut full-length by Finnish speed metallers, Ranger, "Where Evil Dwells" follows the two EPs "Knights of Darkness" and "Shock Skull" as well as a bunch of demos.

The style delivered on this, rather short album (7 tracks, 38 minutes) continues down the same road as on the two EPs. Thus, the seven tracks on the album fall under the rubric of old school speed metal. While the tempos are fast, and there are a few thrashy moments, the songs on this album are best described as traditional metal played at high speed (think old Overkill meets Iron Maiden). And this (still) works very well, as the listener is bombarded with guitar melodies, Dave Murray-ish solos, fast drums, and really hysterical vocals that fall somewhere between Paul Baloff and Bobby Blitz.

The seven songs are very good and extremely well put together, and there is nothing at all wrong with the musicianship. The production is a bit rough around the edges, but it adds an authentic retro feel to the album.

The "Shock Skull" release took the quality a tad down from "Knights of Darkness", but on "Where Evil Dwells", the quality is taken up a notch again. In other words, this is a friggin' nice speed metal album, and fans of early Helloween, Maiden, Whiplash, early Metallica and the like should definitely check it out.