Zuul     

To The Frontlines
Planet Metal 2012

American metallers Zuul take catchiness, and classic songwriting to new heights on their sophomore full-length, To The Frontlines.  A sweeping epic mood permeates the opening of the NWOBHM inspired track, Show No Mercy.  Melodic accents arch across the riffs and then a snappy bass line cuts the silence before the track gallops onward once more.  A magical set of solos fleshes out the song.  Up next is Guillotine which utilizes a main riff that brings to mind Bathory's Necromancy as performed by Angel Witch.  The whole song has a straight-ahead determination, a single-minded focus on the central riff that only breaks for the chorus.  Beautiful guitars rock your face off on In the Cellar while infectious leads paint the song with the color of nostalgia.  Smoldering Nights does as its names implies, it lets slide some simmering melodic lines and then picks up the pace with the best vocal lines of the album.  The chorus hits like a street fight, big muscley vocals and hooky phrasing.  People who like High Spirits will love this song.  An old school driving riff brings Deep Purple instantly to my thoughts on Heavy Lover.  More melody overload on the album's closer, Waste Of Time.  I feel my eyes clenching, my head banging, my fist slamming the table as this song sets my stereo on fire with its sawing main riff and melodic overtones.  Brett's vocals are powerful yet smooth and push the song to new heights.  But then we take a turn into slower, more epic fields of metallized guitar and ballady vocals.  A dreamlike atmosphere overtakes the middle section of the composition.  The final minute of the track soars like Helloween at their most dramatic.  One thing you will notice about Zuul is that the songs feel so alive, so full of energy.  Yet, they sound like an unearthed treasure from 1981. To The Frontlines is total rock and NWOBHM with a epic texture.