TITANS RAGE was born in France after two old friends Guy Duvy (DRAKKAN) on bass and Oliver Bourgeois (BLACKWHITE) on vocals decided to join forces and create a traditional heavy metal band with a strong personality just like them. They have released their debut full length album "Never Surrender" on November 16, 2022. Well, that's about all I know or could find out about this band and their members, other than throwing confusion in my research and discovering  there is a band out there called TITAN RAGE (no S) so in situations like this, we let the music do the talking.

We open with the title track "Never Surrender" exploding with speedy, power riffs before the clean, crisp vocals take center stage and blend nicely with a muscular rhythmic backdrop and a mid-song punching guitar solo, a great start. Wow, they really throw a curve ball on track two "Saints Of Hell", a dark, sinister sound with menacing vocals split between throaty and talking, paced with a roasting hot riff. I like what I'm hearing after just two songs, they look like a band that knows how to mix it up and shift gears. "War Child" has a nice swagger of mid-tempo change of pace with an infectious riff and anthemic chorus, coupled with an amorously seductive solo. "Remember this Time" is a tad bit unbalanced, the first clunker on an impressive effort so far , mixture of tempo changes and misplaced vocals, despite some pretty nice guitar work, this is a forgettable song. "Cry For The Nation" gets back to power metal with energetic riffs and haunting vocals over a chanting chorus, getting back to their comfort zone and not overthinking what they're laying down. Paying tribute to a true musical legend with "Lemmy", is an intense effort in every aspect, they develop the MOTERHEAD sound and attitude, including tossing in a soundtrack of LEMMY (R.I.P.) speaking, the guitar work is scorching and apropos, somewhere in heaven he's looking down with a half-lit cigarette and a bottle of Jack smiling about this one.

Debut albums are always interesting to review, especially when I know almost nothing about the band or their personnel, it can be a surprise package that either is amazing or a letdown. With a total of ten songs, of which only one missed the mark, I'd state the obvious and say this is an extremely well-done album. TITANS RAGE was not afraid to blaze their own path, they delivered an uncompromised, fresh and adventurous hard-hitting album.