In 2018 Iron Maiden and Judas Priest reminded us all, once again, that England remains the home of the very finest heavy metal in the world. While these gods of metal seem to remain evergreen, showing no sign of vacating their thrones any time soon, the question remains – to whom can they pass the torch of British metal? With their new album, Descent Of The Serpent, Forged In Black have made a powerful case to be considered heirs in waiting…
Adorned with the brilliant artwork of Dan Goldsworthy (Alestorm, Hell, Accept etc) Descent Of The Serpent immediately declares its metal allegiance with pride and then, with a thunderous drum roll, the listener is launched head first into the maelstrom of steel that is opening track ‘Seek No Evil‘. A magnificent metal anthem in its own right, ‘Seek No Evil’ is just the gateway to a collection of songs that capture the very essence of great metal, but also bring a dynamic freshness to the mix. Forged In Black are not simply trying to recreate the past, they have learned lessons from many of the subgenres that have invigorated metal over the decades – power metal, thrash metal, doom metal – and woven choice elements into their sound. Front man Chris ‘Stoz’ Storozynski possesses one of the great voices in modern metal and his soaring vocals lift the songs on Descent Of The Serpent to a level unattainable for most bands. Riding in the slipstream of this imperious voice the twin guitars of Andy Songhurst and Chris Bone fight rapier duels with their lightning solos and mesh iron clad riffs into impenetrable armour. Beneath it all Kevin and Kieron Rochester lay unshakeable foundations, a rhythm section perfectly attuned to each other and to the songs built upon their broad backs.
Forged In Black‘s quest for metallic perfection began in 2013 and the band released their eponymous debut album that same year, swiftly followed by the EP The Tide and a single, ‘Exodus’ which was produced by Romesh Dodangoda, famed for his work with Motörhead, Bring Me The Horizon and Bullet For My Valentine. At this point in their career the band struck up a great working relationship with legendary, much missed producer, Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath etc). Chris and Forged In Black together created two excellent EPs, Fear Reflecting Fear and 2017s Sinner Sanctorum, both of which raised the band’s profile, gathered them great critical acclaim and set them on the path towards Descent Of The Serpent. After Chris’ sad passing at the beginning of 2018 Forged In Black sought once again the help of Romesh Dodangoda and the producer stepped into the breach, guiding the band through the recording of what is undoubtedly their finest collection of songs to date. Those songs will be thrilling additions to the Forged In Black live set, with the likes of the epic, anthemic ‘When Hell Is Done’ crying out to be heard in venues around the world.
Line-up:
Chris Stoz Storozynski – Lead Vocals
Andy Songhurst – Guitars
Kieron Rochester – Bass and Vocals
Chris Bone – Guitars
Kev Rochester – Drums
Further Information: http://www.forgedinblack.com | http://www.fighter-records.com
“…stunning molten metal…” – POWERPLAY MAGAZINE
contact@imperativepr.co.uk | http://imperativepr.co.uk
