"Timeless Warafare" is the debut album for the Turkish metal quintet VENGEFUL GHOUL and we're in for a treat.

But first things first. Intros. Based in Instanbul, brainchild of Senem Ündemir and Emre Kasapoğlu, VENGEFUL GHOUL were formed in 2005. After a well-received demo and several stage performances, the Turks decided to create their first album. So they established their own recording studio, and recorded and mixed "Timeless Warfare". That not being enough, they brought in the big guns, having Jens Borgen do the mastering on the album.  Promising in the least. But what of the music?

Opener "Chained Freedom" starts with an imam chanting in the distance, while urban warfare rages, guns blazing, bombs exploding, air raid sirens wailling, and a chuggy rhythm guitar leads us by the hand. Great performance by the band, kinda reminds me of Sanctuary/Nevermore and early Savatage. Great song with straightforward, yet intelligent song structure, and a soulful performance by Emre. "The Sovereign Place" leads in a more direct way, only to evolve in more melodic paths. Once again great vocal performance, and really nice leadwork Really love the way they set the pace. "Ruthless Crow" is it? Great opening riff in the vein of Judas Priest's bastard childe, and  a powerful lead lick to gets us to the song. Powerful, immense perfomance by all, but above all, honest. So far the best I've heard, and really ups the ante for the rest.

On average the songs are rather long, running on average of 6 minutes, but that doesn't feel like it. On the contrary it gives room for the band to breathe instead of rushing things and the listener to appreciate the songs. "My Crowned Solitude" is a perfect example of this. A slow melodic piece, starrting only with a single guitar and vocals, building up to a ballad, only to reveal at 2 minutes that you are actually hearing to Heavy Metal. Once again solid riffs and great vocals. To stop tiring you, I really like the way  Emre Kasapoğlu performs. He really guides you through the story VENGEFUL GHOUL are unfolding for us.

"Under Control" continues in the same melodic Heavy / Thrash / Power mix VENGEFUL GHOUL are throwing at us. "Schaukelstuhl" (Rocking Chair) goes into more slow paths, being the only ballad of the album. Great solo by the way, with the required heavy riffing to boot. "Search for Apeiron" (Search for Infinity) continues the story where we left it. Dark melodic Heavy/Thrash constantly pounding us to the walls. "Fire & Spell" guides us closer to the end with oriental guitar melodies and the dark heaviness I've learnt to love by VENGEFUL GHOUL. "Timeless Warfare" concludes the story as we were promised from the start. Crushingly heavy and melodic Heavy/Thrash Metal as it should be.

Good songwriting throughout the whole album, great performances by all,  To sum it up, a very solid release for the Turks and a great promise for the future. Really worth checking, especially if you're into melodic Heavy/Power/Thrash Metal.

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