War Dogs – Only The Stars Are Left

War Dogs
Only The Stars Are Left
Label: Fighter Records
Out: October 15^th, 2024
Playing time: 48:43

War Dogs were founded in 2015 in Elche (province of Alicante, Spain). The band began writing songs in 2017 and played their first live gigs. The self-titled debut EP was released one year later. The first album ‘Die By My Sword’ followed in 2020, and the follow-up ‘Only The Stars Are Left’ was completed another four years later.

The album starts with the intro ‘The Hour Of Fate’. But unlike many others. An acoustic guitar melody can be heard. And forms the prelude to ‘The Prosecution’. Now there is a powerful guitar sound. Melodic Rock resounds from the speakers. The interplay between the two guitarists is particularly impressive, with a strong guitar solo. ‘Riders Of The Storm’ then brings a real Metal feeling. Roaring, almost galloping guitar riffs and driving drumming. Singer Alberto Rodríguez easily keeps up. And the Last Judgement follows. ‘Heaven’s Judgement’ starts as a power ballad. But later the Spaniards really rock out. ‘Astral Queen’ breaks previous speed records thanks to the aggressive drumming and fast hook lines. The guitars also fry on ‘Fallen Angel’. But the tempo is slowed down a little. If you’re expecting battle sounds on ‘Vendetta’, you’re not wrong. After an anthemic introduction, it really gets down to business. You can literally feel the heat of battle. Once again there is a ballad-like start. But later ‘Only The Stars Are Left’ is a stomping mid-tempo rocker. At the beginning of the high-speed Metal song ‘The Seventh Seal’ you can briefly hear some spoken words. The epic ‘The Vengeance Of Ryosuke Taiwara’ forms the conclusion and the highlight of the album. An ambitious piece of work with Speed Metal passages but also very hymnic sections.

War Dogs have released a mature album with ‘Only The Stars Are Left’. The songs represent a large part of Heavy Metal. The work of the two guitarists is outstanding. They pass the ball to each other during their solos. Almost fifty minutes of varied and high-class Heavy Metal.

War Dogs – Vendetta: https://youtu.be/vo7cTR3A0Hg?si=ttC2N6mJcxQq2MKG

Lineup:

Alberto Rodríguez – Vocals, Guitars
Edu Antón – Guitars
Manuel Molina – Bass
José V. Aldeguer – Drums, Keyboards

Track list:

• The Hour Of Fate (Intro)
• The Prosecution
• Riders Of The Storm
• Heaven’s Judgement
• Astral Queen
• Fallen Angel
• Vendetta
• Only The Stars Are Left
• The Seventh Seal
• The Vengeance Of Ryosuke Taiwara