With the dull roar of motorcycles and the clinking of chains on a studded vest, STALLION rides in from southern Germany to bring some classic metal to the modern day. The band began in 2013 and released 3 E.P.s before their first full length came out in 2014, followed by their second in 2017. Their third album, "Slaves of Time" is due to arrive on February 28th 2020. This band is pure uninhibited Metal, particularly Speed and Thrash with plenty of homage to Hair Metal and '80s Hard Rock.

"Waking the Demons" is a stellar opener. Pauly's voice reminds me so much of the late Midnight (CRIMSON GLORY). It's a shred-fest with frantic guitars and speedy drums. "No Mercy" is a homage to 80s Thrash. The cheesy lyrics paired with the headbang-worthy riffs with that Punk Rock bite certainly had me headbanging."Time to Reload" is Glam Metal at the core. The riffs are that dance-worthy pace and tuning you'd hear from a band like SCORPIONS. Sitting still is nearly impossible when you hear this catchy track! "All In" keeps that Glam Metal feel from the previous track, but goes straight Heavy Metal in the heart of the song. "Brain Dead" brings on the Speed and Thrash! You definitely could get whiplash banging your head to this wild track. The drums are fast and fantastic in this one and pairs perfectly with the killer riffs and solos.

"Die With Me" is the epic track of the album, clocking in at over 7 minutes. This song is, by far, the most surprising because it is also the one ballad on the album. I love a great power ballad and "Die With Me" fits in pretty well. There's emotional vocals, some great riffage and a fabulous melodic solo in the heart of the song. This is essentially STALLION's own "November Rain" moment. "Merchants of Fear" shoves you right out of that '80s ballad headspace right back into the tasty riff-fueled speedy Thrash Metal zone. It's aggressive and fast as hell. I can imagine this one being great to mosh to at a live show. "Dynamiter" is another pure steel blooded metal track. This one has a strong JUDAS PRIEST edge to it with how the song flows and the vocal style. "Kill the Beast"  is a kick-ass track. Speedy and powerful riffs once again dominate your speakers and leave you feeling inspired to slay something once that snare sinks into your senses. "Meltdown" closes the album with one final blast. The guitars playing in unison are yet another great flashback to their Metal predecessors. It's a thrashy melodic show until the very end.

All in all, "Slaves of Time" is pure kick-ass Heavy Metal. The guitarists can truly shred, the drums are face meltingly good, and the vocals are stellar. STALLION creates a portal to the '80s when Metal was just called Metal with this record. While it's not exactly original, it's such a blast from the past that it's still worthy of praise. This album is just pure uninhibited fun with no rules other than having a great time and, sometimes, that's all you need.