Axeblade – Axeblade

Axeblade
Axeblade
Label: Witches Brew
Out: April 25^th, 2025
Playing time: 35:26

There is no information about the founding date of the Italian Metal band Axeblade in the press materials. If you look at the posts on Facebook, it seems likely that the musicians came together in 2022. The musicians have previously gained experience in other Italian Metal bands (Fil Di Ferro, Ruler and Rapid Fire). The self-titled debut album was released in April via the German label Witches Brew. According to the press release, the album contains ‘… nine tracks that move confidently between fast-paced anthems and darker mid-tempo moments.’ Singer Paola Goitre had already impressed me during a guest appearance at Metal Queen’s Burning Night Festival 2018. So of course I was excited about this album.

The ‘intro’ is just over 50 seconds short – or long. And whether you could do without it is probably a matter of taste. Combative spoken words, some war cries, with an acoustic guitar underneath. But ‘Hellraiser’ really gets going. Hard guitar melody and riffs and driving drumming. Plus, the dark and powerful voice of Paola Goitre. The whole thing is rounded off by a strong guitar solo. ‘Screaming Demons In Your Head’ starts with drums and bass. The guitars kick in later. And the song title is the concept. Paola keeps belting out high Metal screams. There is also a guitar solo here. ‘Ready For War’ then becomes anthemic. Although the singer is almost shouting in places. Just battle cries. In the second part, the tempo increases with the guitar solo. A genuine Metal anthem follows with ‘Time Can’t Wait’. But it doesn’t go off without a high-speed guitar solo either. ‘The Healer’ is a combination of mid-tempo stomper and anthem. Paola mostly sings in lower vocal ranges here. The one or other scream is also thrown in. In ‘Necromantic’, the Italians initially go at a high tempo. In addition to various tempo changes, Paola also shows her vocal diversity, from a hard rock voice to nasty screams and high Metal screams. ‘Nigredo’ starts with extremely melodic guitar hooks. And it remains essentially melodic. The vocals also and above all contribute to this. The final track is the title track ‘Axeblade’, which is also the band’s anthem. Although it’s not really anthemic here. The guitar and drums are too driving. In addition, there are constant changes between rocking vocals and high screams.

Axeblade have released a hard and yet varied debut album. Their Heavy Metal is characterised by crashing riffs, driving bass lines and powerful drums. But the icing on the cake is Paola Goitre’s voice. She sings, she roars, and she screams. And thus contributes a great deal to the band’s hard-hitting direction. 

Axeblade – Necromantic: https://youtu.be/Ex8CecFxE10?si=G1CfPTIeUjA82UD2

Lineup:

Paolo Pontiggia – Bass
Paola Goitre – Vocals
Luca Maggi – Guitars
Marco Stefani – Drums

Track list:

• Intro
• Hellraiser
• Screaming Demons In Your Head
• Ready For War
• Time Can’t Wait
• The Healer
• Necromantic
• Nigredo
• Axeblade