Review by Tomek on December 29, 2017.

The package that came from Les Acteurs de L'Ombre Productions some time ago is like a treasure chest, no matter what I pull out of it seems to be some kind of a gem in one way or another. Time Lurker is a French one man band/project that I’ve been listening to lately, and his first full length, self titled album is another one of those albums that does not want to leave my player.

For those of you that wonder about Time Lurker doings I can tell you that black metal with lots of atmosphere, some post and some gaze thrown in for a good measure would be a half assed attempt to explain it. Mick, who is the main and the only force behind this name, is a multi-instrumentalist that not only played all the instruments but also recorded and mixed all of it. Mastering was given to Jack Shirley, and vocals were done by Mick himself, as well as by Thibo, Tony, Cedric and Clem.  Not much more info was given out but not much more is needed since music is what we are going to talk about anyway. One man projects or bands in black metal are fairly common, but unfortunately rarely innovative. Time Lurker is not breaking any new grounds with this record but is also quite far from walking the beaten path. The first song couldn’t be a better choice for an opener since it contains all elements that are to be found on this album. With running time of almost 12 minutes, it manages to exhibit everything the Time Lurker is about. Black metal riffs that are violent, ferocious, viciously fast but also wickedly memorable interchange with instrumental passages that sound hauntingly mesmerizing. The instrumental atmospheric parts that satiate songs with aspects of sadness, pain and melancholy are dramatic and insanely epic. Truly fascinating listen with attention steered just to those elements but once vocals are added into equation everything intensifies. Black metal shrieks, possessed screams, maniacal screech and some deeper growl at occasion are mere words when trying to explain insanity that happens here. To think about it, this could be an explanation of why there were so many people involved in recording of vocals. One throat could not handle this madness of the vocal chords! This album is crammed with many great segments but none of it would be happen without hard work of the rhythm section. From the very beginning to the very end, it carries whatever happens on this album with an excessive, consistent, machine gun force. It suits the music well and the more carefully I listened, the more I realized how important it is in this whole scheme. All pieces were put together masterfully and finished with production that’s more on organic side and somewhat blurred, which only helps the album achieving more original, untidy but still selective sound.

Time Lurker was a very satisfying experience of going into imaginative regions. It may take couple of spins to fully appreciate it, but if this is Mick’s first album, there is no telling where he is going to take us next. With the talent that he possesses, with the way he creates his fascinating musical passages and with how the whole story entangles, it is a must to keep an eye on this band. Give it a try but be ready for a long and introspective trip to where several universes gather as one.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

Review by Vladimir on October 17, 2023.

As four wicked occultists attempt to sacrifice a maiden on a full moon night, a barbarian deathstalker wielding his trusty blade, swoops out from the murky swamps to rescue the damsel in distress. The topic I’ll be covering for this review is a Canadian heavy metal band Tower Hill and their debut full-length album Deathstalker, set to be released on October 27th via No Remorse Records. Without any further ado, it’s time to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women. 

A great and highly promising start with the opening title track 'Deathstalker' hints that you will be hearing tons of guitar melodies, wall breaking heavy metal riff mania, bone crushing double-bass drumming and epic vocals which incorporate high pitch screams during choruses. Next to the heavy riffs and exquisite melodies, you can hear that there are also interesting bass lines and bass melodies on top of that. Apart from the all the catchiness and full throttle that you will witness on tracks such as 'Kings Who Die', 'All The Little Devils Are Proud Of Hell' and 'Antigone', this album also rocks with effective mid-tempo heaviness which is evident on 'In At The Death'. Both 'In At The Death' and 'Antigone' possess some interesting high pitch screams which reminded me a bit of Warrel Dane from the first two Sanctuary albums, especially when combined with the main epic vocals. The general songwriting is very straightforward and pounding heavy metal riffing from start to finish, with tons of epic choruses and melodies which wonderfully spice things up. The great thing about this album is that it’s very easy listening, so you don’t have to worry about missing any key detail in the music or losing track, because the entire thing is stylistically consistent from one song to another and every bit is kept to a simple yet highly effective level. The overall themes that Tower Hill deals with on Deathstalker are traditional mythological, war and fantasy themes which nicely fit with the kind of musical output incorporated in every song. Funnily enough, I presumed that this would be a conceptual album about Conan the Barbarian or even Korgoth of Barbaria for some weird reason, if you remember that Adult Swim short. Although I did enjoy the album as a whole, there were moments when I felt that the album was a bit lacking in tone and not quite as memorable as I wanted it to be. Indeed, every bit of performance on this album is great but somehow it seems like it was just a few steps away from being one of the exceptional heavy metal albums of the year. This isn’t to say that the album is entirely generic or repetitive, far from it, the only thing that I am pointing out is that Deathstalker could have been so much more to what it is and all that it’s just missing was to hit the right note which would definitely bring the album on a higher spot among the traditional heavy metal releases of 2023. However, if you manage to look aside from the small issue and you just came here to enjoy some good traditional heavy metal music like I did, then I don’t have to tell you that this album is ideal for you. 

In the end, I consider Deathstalker to be a fairly enjoyable album that will definitely be picked up by dedicated NWOTHM fans. Tower Hill did a good job overall and they certainly seem to be fans of sword and sorcery inspired heavy metal albums which is what they seem to be going for. Fans of bands like Visigoth, Eternal Champion and Megaton Sword should check this one out and see if this will quench your undying thirst for steel and vengeance. 

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on October 17, 2023.

As four wicked occultists attempt to sacrifice a maiden on a full moon night, a barbarian deathstalker wielding his trusty blade, swoops out from the murky swamps to rescue the damsel in distress. The topic I’ll be covering for this review is a Canadian heavy metal band Tower Hill and their debut full-length album Deathstalker, set to be released on October 27th via No Remorse Records. Without any further ado, it’s time to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women. 

A great and highly promising start with the opening title track 'Deathstalker' hints that you will be hearing tons of guitar melodies, wall breaking heavy metal riff mania, bone crushing double-bass drumming and epic vocals which incorporate high pitch screams during choruses. Next to the heavy riffs and exquisite melodies, you can hear that there are also interesting bass lines and bass melodies on top of that. Apart from the all the catchiness and full throttle that you will witness on tracks such as 'Kings Who Die', 'All The Little Devils Are Proud Of Hell' and 'Antigone', this album also rocks with effective mid-tempo heaviness which is evident on 'In At The Death'. Both 'In At The Death' and 'Antigone' possess some interesting high pitch screams which reminded me a bit of Warrel Dane from the first two Sanctuary albums, especially when combined with the main epic vocals. The general songwriting is very straightforward and pounding heavy metal riffing from start to finish, with tons of epic choruses and melodies which wonderfully spice things up. The great thing about this album is that it’s very easy listening, so you don’t have to worry about missing any key detail in the music or losing track, because the entire thing is stylistically consistent from one song to another and every bit is kept to a simple yet highly effective level. The overall themes that Tower Hill deals with on Deathstalker are traditional mythological, war and fantasy themes which nicely fit with the kind of musical output incorporated in every song. Funnily enough, I presumed that this would be a conceptual album about Conan the Barbarian or even Korgoth of Barbaria for some weird reason, if you remember that Adult Swim short. Although I did enjoy the album as a whole, there were moments when I felt that the album was a bit lacking in tone and not quite as memorable as I wanted it to be. Indeed, every bit of performance on this album is great but somehow it seems like it was just a few steps away from being one of the exceptional heavy metal albums of the year. This isn’t to say that the album is entirely generic or repetitive, far from it, the only thing that I am pointing out is that Deathstalker could have been so much more to what it is and all that it’s just missing was to hit the right note which would definitely bring the album on a higher spot among the traditional heavy metal releases of 2023. However, if you manage to look aside from the small issue and you just came here to enjoy some good traditional heavy metal music like I did, then I don’t have to tell you that this album is ideal for you. 

In the end, I consider Deathstalker to be a fairly enjoyable album that will definitely be picked up by dedicated NWOTHM fans. Tower Hill did a good job overall and they certainly seem to be fans of sword and sorcery inspired heavy metal albums which is what they seem to be going for. Fans of bands like Visigoth, Eternal Champion and Megaton Sword should check this one out and see if this will quench your undying thirst for steel and vengeance. 

Rating: 8.2 out of 10