Review GREYHAWK “Warriors of Greyhawk”

As a fan, the artwork of an album is the first impression you get. If you don’t know the band, it also gives you an idea of what to expect musically. If you haven’t heard of Greyhawk before, it isn’t easy to guess what to expect from their third album. The blend of ‘Captain Future’, ‘Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Dragonheart’ is a wild combination, but fortunately an album is more about the music than the visuals.

“Warriors of Greyhawk” is the third studio album from the band Greyhawk. Founded in Seattle, Washington in 2016, the band’s music blends power metal and AOR. This is the first album that the quintet has released via Cruz Del Sur Records, and being part of the label’s portfolio is a quality statement in itself.

Even at this early stage, we can say that the music on “Warriors of Greyhawk” is much better than the cover artwork. The opener, “Ascension”, clarifies Greyhawk’s musical approach. Well-crafted melodies, catchy hooks and warrior shouts, combined with good riffs, make the first song an anthemic start to the album.

With “Land of Ashes”, the band shifts gears. This up-tempo metal track features a perfect sing-along chorus. Combined with a blistering solo, the song shows that Greyhawk know how to play metal. The more AOR-rooted aspect of the music is evident in “Take a Stand”, while the band really hits the pedal hard in “Endless Race”.

The longer I listen to this album, the more I think of bands like Hammerfall; while the faster songs also spread a certain Helloween spirit. Regardless of these influences, each track comes with an infectious melody, including the title track.

“Warriors of Greyhawk” is a powerful yet atmospheric metal track. It is an epic, pulsating metal anthem with a big chorus. The band doesn’t change much when it comes to the bottom part of the tracklist. One of the strengths of this album is the versatility reflected by these songs. Take the gothic-infused “Chosen”, for example, which still fits into the context of “Warriors of Greyhawk”. The vivid “Hyperspace” combines the best of European and American power metal, with attention-grabbing hooks.

“Embers Rise” is an excellent headbanger, and the rocking roots are more prominent in “Rise Above”. Last but not least, there is “Eternal Quest” — the six-minute finale of the album. This melody-driven, powerful song reminds me of bands like Brainstorm in parts.

“Warriors of Greyhawk” is much better than its artwork suggests which certainly stands out from the flood of records released every week. However, it is the music on “Warriors of Greyhawk” that showcases the band’s quality and creativity, and will undoubtedly expand their fanbase with their latest album. Horns up!