Killerwitch – Palace Of The Dragon

Killerwitch
Palace Of The Dragon
Label: Witches Brew
Out: 29^th September 2025
Playing time: 48:13

There are many young bands with experienced musicians. The small Mediterranean archipelago of Malta/Gozo is no exception. With a population of just less than 520,000, the number of musicians is naturally quite small. Given the comparatively large number of Rock and Metal bands, it is clear that many musicians play in several bands. And these bands play different styles, so that the influences within a band are also extremely diverse. This is also the case with Killerwitch from the town of Marsa, located at the southernmost part of Grand Harbour. The band was founded in 2020. Since then, they have obviously been playing with the same line-up. Two albums have been released so far. The self-titled debut was released in the year the band was founded. Five years later, ‘Palace Of The Dragon’ followed.

A guitar fade-in at the beginning of ‘Silent Angel’, then Killerwitch kick off. Hard riffs, fast drums and powerful vocals. I had already seen singer Luke Debono live at the Metal Over Malta Festival 2019. But here he sounds far less thrash than he did with Mur.Doc 104 back then. The title track ‘Palace Of The Dragon’ is also typical guitar-driven Power Metal. However, it is a little quieter. In the middle, the tempo picks up and leads into a twin guitar solo. Singer Luke Debono shows off his vocal range, alternating between high and low vocal parts. A brief thunderstorm can be heard at the beginning of ‘Leonidas’. Then banging riffs take over. But here, too, the tempo accelerates sharply shortly afterwards. Short high screams are thrown in again and again. In ‘The Alchemist’, the bass takes over the intro before hard riffs push their way to the foreground. A bass line can also be heard throughout the song. And, as on several previous tracks, guitar solos crown the song. A Power Metal album inevitably has to include a ballad. However, ‘Venefica’ is only an instrumental interlude with acoustic guitar. And already in ‘Faces In The Dark’ it gets heavy again, with drums and riffs dominating this mid-tempo song. Did I say mid-tempo? Of course, not throughout. The first guitar solo is played quickly before returning to mid-tempo. ‘Defenders Of The Sands’ starts quietly, later we hear a fast-paced Metal anthem. The album then ends with another anthem, ‘From The Grave’.

I ‘ve realised that there are many talented musicians living in Malta after attending several festivals on the island. Killerwitch is no exception. The band joins a rather long list of good and very good bands. ‘Palace Of The Dragon’ is a very strong album. It features high-quality Power Metal. I was particularly impressed by the vocals and the many sophisticated guitar solos. Fans of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept, Saxon or even Riot should definitely give it a listen.

Killerwitch – Palace Of The Dragon: https://youtu.be/LiOn_yg5eHQ?si=LrA8Hs9uM_qrUBVi

Lineup:

Gino Micallef – Bass
Jeremy Xuereb – Guitars
Owen Grech – Guitars
Luke Debono – Vocals

Track list:

• Silent Angel
• Palace Of The Dragon
• Leonidas
• The Alchemist
• Venefica
• Faces In The Dark
• Defenders Of The Sands
• From The Grave