It is a rare occasion that I am turned off to a band within my first listen of the first song on the album. This is what happened when I listened to the first song, Slayer's Oath, off of SOLITARY SABRED's debut album, The Hero The Monster The Myth, but before I get into that here's a quick overview of the band.

SOLITARY SABRED was formed on the island of Cyprus in 2000. Their first album was actually a live album, released in 2008. That's really all there is to say about their background.

Anyway, something tells me that SOLITARY SABRED sees their music as some sort of epic, telling the tales of ages long past. The reality, however, is quite different. The vocalist is obviously trying to channel King Diamond in his vocal approach and fails miserably. I've really come to appreciate King Diamond's vocals over the years. The way that he incorporates really strong hooks amidst his growling and banshee wailing on songs like Evil and A Mansion In Darkness is unbelievable and I respect him mightily for it. The vocals here, however, are just so over-the-top for the sake of being over-the-top. They add absolutely nothing to the song, except for the ever-increasing urge to hit the skip button. That being said, it's not like the vocals ruin anything instrumentally, because musically the performances and songwriting are somewhere between mediocre and pedestrian. The lyrics are about typical epic stuff, which has no weight when coupled with music this poor.

Would I love for there to be a new band that can continue on King Diamond's legacy? Yes. Is SOLITARY SABRED the band that will do that? No. Avoid.