Music: Black Moor: The Conquering

Our Take

It is certainly a good time to be a thrash fan, as more and more bands seem to be debuting that seem to have been influenced by many of the founding genre acts. One of the latest is Nova Scotia’s Black Moor, who recently put out their debut album The Conquering. Although these guys wear their influences on their sleeves and don’t necessarily have the unique riffs needed to absolutely blow listeners away, they have put out a release that is genuinely fun to listen to and that showcases plenty of promise for the future.

The instrumentalists have clearly taken cues from thrash acts such as Metallica and Megadeth as well as traditional heavy metal groups like Iron Maiden as their riffs channel influences of both throughout the course of The Conquering. But although they definitely have a bit of a retro heavy/thrash metal vibe going, this doesn’t mean that Black Moor sounds dated. The group does throw in some more modern touches on some of the songs and also offers some killer solos throughout the course of the album which does help make their music fun to listen to. However, the main issue with The Conquering is that some of the songs do drag (there may be a few too many mid-tempo moments) and the instrumentalists haven’t completely established their own identity yet. But there is quite a bit of potential, and those who give these guys a chance will still enjoy the album overall.

Vocalist Erick Hanlin may generate some more Megadeth comparisons, as at times his singing is very reminiscent of Dave Mustaine. Though he does have his own nuances, it is almost creepy at times just how close Hanlin is able to get to Mustaine’s pitch and delivery style. However, while Megadeth has gone off into political territory for awhile now Black Moor’s lyrical content is closer to that of older heavy metal groups that sing about various fantasy themes. This works quite well for the band, and does make some of their songs a bit catchier than they would be otherwise. Overall, if you like this style of vocals you will find that Black Moor certainly does it justice.

The Conquering may not be the best thrash/heavy metal release that I have heard in recent memory, but it does have its moments and is fun to listen to overall. Black Moor does need to work a little bit on keeping their songs interesting throughout, as some of them do tend to drag, but overall they are off to a great start. Keep an eye on these guys, as they may simple be above average right now but in another couple of years they could become a leader in their genre.

http://www.diminishedfifthrecords.com/

Chris Dahlberg
October 04, 2009