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Maelstrom -  The band to lead off is a very interesting one.  The band itself and not to mention the story behind them.  Get cozy because this might be tad longer than other band descriptions I have done. One word describes this new york epic metal outfit.......fuckin' determined.  Ok so that's two words but whatever; grammar aside these guys have been waiting for this moment.  Originally this work you can hear now has been around since 1989!  Damn I was 5 years young at that time and prolly listened to Sesame Street shit at that point.  Big Bird is metal dammit! Anyway, I am starting to lose track here.  This band currently has only a 3 song sampler out now.  It's hard to imagine what a band could do to only have 3 songs produced after 20 years.  When you hear the work done it's apparent that this took time to get this good.....maybe not that long but we'll let it slide if the album is going to be as good. 

 When you listen to the music, not focusing on lyrics or singing style, the style seems somewhat familiar.  Don't let that fool you though, because they have some greatly put together riffs, technical pieces that will show their playing prowess.  The guitarist Joey Lodes has been a guest speaker at Juliard.  Yes thats the same school you saw in save the last dance. Back to the point at hand.  Its thrashy and punchy and gets you excited about this band.  Epic metal is about story telling and the story being told seems to be a page turner in the metaphorical sense. 

  Singing is a tad harder for me to pin down as trying to liken it to something for those of you who havent tasted them yet.  So I won't. Gary Vosganian is capable and eager to prove himself, if he hasn't already for sticky together with the group after so long.  If you like 80's thrash  you owe it to yourself to give them a shot and pick up the sampler and the album when released. I wouldn't group them solely in the 80's thrash but when you listen to the guitars at moments its a category im gonna use right now.

  In conclusion, another band on the horizon that has been there for sometime.  I feel that these guys have what it takes if they keep up what I have heard so far.  So cross the fingers ladies and gents, it is another good day for metal fans. Check out their profile under my friends list for a sample.