Steve Blower
‘The Prophecy’
Independent Release
Heavy Metal
FFO: Hamerex, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Judas Priest, Accept
In their little under 15 year existence, Wakefield’s Hamerex gained quite the cult following with their heavy metal tones and it was a shock to UK metal scene when the band announced that they would be going on hold. This however did free up guitarist and vocalist Steve Blower to begin work on a solo project releasing an EP and a studio album whilst this year has seen the release of ‘Alive in Isolation’. Not content to sit upon his laurels, Blower is back with his latest album ‘The Prophecy’.
This album is heavy metal at its most raw and beautiful which gives ‘The Prophecy’ a real sense of integrity and honesty and it is possible to almost taste the blood, sweat and tears that go into making an album of this nature from just listening to it. There are some excellent tracks here that really do have a touch of Bruce Dickinson; ‘Bonded by Blood’ and ‘Black Dog’ whilst ‘Lucifer Rising (Hell Awakens)’ conjures up Priest connotations with a melody similar to ‘Death’. Blower really does push the boat out here and while the production may be modest, the hard work shines through. Some of these tracks may be a little on the longer than they need to be side and could easily be trimmed down by a minute, but that would be being deliberately harsh at an album which doesn’t deserve it.
There’s not a lot ‘new’ here, but Blower really does deliver something that is very enjoyable with plenty of replayability and any fan of classic sounding heavy metal should crank this loud.
Adam McCann
