Tower Hill - Fighting Spirits Demo

Rolling with the boys.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on June 7th, 2021)  

Traditional heavy metal wasn’t always a genre I was invested in, barring stalwarts like Iron Maiden. Over the past few years though I’ve slowly been dipping my toes into the “New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal” (referred to as NWOTHM), with bands like Haunt and Traveller sparking my interest in the genre, causing me to actually seek out more releases, both past and present. Among those present releases is Tower Hill’s Fighting Spirits demo, a short but sweet serving of speedy trad metal.
The three tracks here are very much cast from the mold of modern trad metal, full of galloping riffs, catchy choruses and melodic solos. Moments like the opening of “The Claw Is The Law” and the dramatic vocals of “Antigone” are perfect distillations of the style’s core tenets. Andrew Trainor has an excellent grasp of what makes a good heavy metal track and it shows on every aspect of this recording.
The production is perfect for the style, which is a surprise, considering the fact that this is a demo. Every instrument sounds crisp and powerful, with the drums propelling the rhythms forward, while the bass adds some extra flavour. The mix is top notch as well, with everything being perfectly audible at all times and never struggling to be heard.
Lyrically the demo isn’t all that unique, featuring lyrics about riding out on the streets and battle. They are by no means bad but they might seem unremarkable to seasoned listeners. That being said, the songs are fun to sing along to, which is one of trad’s main draws, so the lyrical content isn’t that big an issue. “Antigone” stands out from the rest, being a dramatization of the Greek tragedy of the same name, which is not something you see bands write about often. Trainor’s vocals on this release are standard trad metal fare, using mostly a gruff mid-range voice as well as some piercing high screams.

The songwriting could also use some improvement. While the tracks are well executed, all of them follow the same structure of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo. It makes the release run together, which is a disappointment considering how short it already is. A few curveballs in this department, like maybe a slower song or even a power ballad would’ve made this release much more memorable. The tracks are well put together, but they could’ve used more variety.
Fighting Spirits is an extremely promising demo from an up-and-comer in the scene, and it’s definitely a band I’d advise any NWOTHM fan to keep an eye on in the future. At the time of writing this review Trainor also seems to have been joined by two new guitarists, which makes a full-length release in the near future a very real possibility. Hopefully they’ll also be able to inject their own ideas in the album and add an extra dimension to the songs.
Highlights: The Claw Is the Law, Antigone

Rating: 81%

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