Featuring such renowned musicians as Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth), Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin (Jag Panzer, Satan’s Host), and Sean “The Hell Destroyer” Peck (Cage, Denner/Shermann), The Three Tremors are understandably often referred to as an all-star project or a supergroup in various metal publications out there. Those terms do have a tendency to be somewhat misleading in that many constellations consisting of high-profile metal/rock stars often produce albums that leave a lot to be desired, which is to say that more often than not they are downright disappointing. Fortunately, such is not the case with this self-titled effort by the three aforementioned gentlemen. With such talented musicians as Dave Garcia (guitars), Alex Pickard (bass), and Sean Elg (drums) in tow, The Three Tremors are all about loud and fist-pumping heavy metal with giant-sized choruses and bone-pulverizing riffs to it. Simply put, this is about as old-school and traditional as you can get, but then considering who is involved would you really want musical experimentation and daring sonic experiments? I would wager the answer to be no and thankfully these guys have decided to do what they do best, i.e. churn out bombastic metal riddled with killer hooks and lethal vocals. Having three different vocalists on the record adds color, nuance, and diversity to the proceedings as well as a subtle element of surprise in that you never quite know who is going to sing the next bit, which is pretty cool, me thinks.
Album opener ‘Invaders From the Sky‘ immediately sets the tone of the album and the following cuts show absolutely no sign of letting up or losing energy. Once you have listened to these opening tunes, you will definitely want to hear the rest of the disc. There is a sense of discipline and focus to the whole thing, but on top of that one can sense a huge amount of will and determination coursing through it too. The drums are akin to artillery while the razor-sharp guitars make a damn fine point of reminding us why we fell in love with muscular heavy metal in the first place. The melodies are not overly imaginative, but they are nevertheless highly effective and memorable. For a crunchy anthem with a catchy riff, try ‘The Cause ‘, but if you are on the lookout for fast-paced and pummeling material, check out the Judas Priest-esque ‘When the Last Scream Fades‘, ‘Fly or Die‘, and ‘Wrath of Asgard‘. There is consistency to the songs and the majority of them are hugely entertaining to listen to; only a couple of tracks are slightly lackluster compared to the others.
The Three Tremors is an ambitious piece of work with conviction and a stellar production to it. Every (power) metal head out there ought to give this one a spin once it hits the streets in January 2019.
