Review MORGUL BLADE “Heavy Metal Wraiths”

“Fell Sorcery Abounds” is the debut album of Morgul Blade, which was released in 2021 and was a strong launch in the middle of the pandemic. These days the sophomore release “Heavy Metal Wraiths” will hit the shelves and it features a tracklist of ten songs.

Basically, Morgul Blade stay true to their roots and their trademark sound. The guys from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are passionate about traditional heavy metal, blending it with the power of US metal and the atmospheric depth of epic metal. What is new is the blackened element that sneaks in here and there. This leads to a wider musical range, which works well on the new album, but also carries the risk of becoming a bit too diverse.

The new album offers “Beneath the Black Sails”, a mid-tempo metal track with roots in traditional metal. The pounding beat even reminds you of the early Dokken, while the hoarse vocals of Lord Klauf add a hellish vibe to this well-crafted headbanger.

Only two songs later things change. “Frostwyrm Cavalry” adds a new layer to Morgul Blade’s sound. Though generally at home in the realm of power metal, the blasting parts and vocals give this song a more blackened expression.

The band describes their sound as blackened epic metal. Well, I’m not sure if we need another subgenre definition, but it describes the album pretty well. So far it sounds exciting and there are always some twists and turns making listening to the album entertaining and metallic shining enjoyment. So far so good and let’s see what the future development of this interesting band will bring.