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Maelstrom?“It Was Predestined” EP ?(Maelstrom Perfect Storm Recordings)

?Prepare for the return of the Maelstrom! Does anyone remember these guys? They formed during the 80s thrash era and might be remembered for their now classic underground demo “This Battle To Make History...Yet History Never Comes” before fading as thrash gave way to black and death metal (not to mention grunge!). Well, founding members Gary Vosganian (vox) and guitarist Joey Lodes, together with newboy Daniel Kleffmann on drums have reformed and updated Maelstrom to bring back a power vortex of epic metal with the emphasis on power! Opening with ‘Arise’, the heavy bass, power riffs and thundering drums make it clear that Maelstrom are worthy successors to the classical titan metal that early Manowar pioneered. These guys did the right thing working with Denmark’s Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Behemoth etc) cos he has given them a big heavy sound that is thru to their name. The second track, ‘A Futile Crusade’ is almost like early Flotsam & Jetsam with Vosganian’s high end power vocals driven along with Kleffmann’s hyperspeed double bass drumming. Lodes’s guitar is the real extra here, happy to churn out power riffs aplenty whilst his solo work as exemplified on the closing title track rolls majestically into Yngwie Malmsteen style harmonies and spiralling solos. “It Was Predestined” is a mini EP preceding a forthcoming full blown album and on the basis of this I can’t wait for more - so let it be written, so let it be done!

-Shan Siva