The "Improper Burial" EP that is currently blasting out of my speakers comes from American up-and-comers HOLY GRAIL. If you are a fan of WHITE WIZZARD then certain aspects of this band may sound familiar. That is because over half of this band, including the singer, were previously in WHITE WIZZARD during the "High Speed GTO" era, which means we are presented essentially with Thrash that is also sounding very New Wave Of British Heavy Metal influenced. HOLY GRAIL mixes the two styles effortlessly bringing together a fusion of music that impresses on both a technical and sonic level.

The EP features two original tracks and two covers. The two originals do enough to convince you that this band means business. They are superb tracks that should light a fire in your very soul; HOLY GRAIL have left me wanting more - and I want it right now! James Luna really stakes a claim as one of the best singers in the underground. His vocals carry a power unheard since the late 70's and just to prove this, the guys decided to cover "Exciter" by JUDAS PRIEST! No easy task, but they pull it off, sounding heavy as hell in the process!

This isn't generic Thrash by any stretch of the imagination, sounding like sped up IRON MAIDEN would be a better term, in fact despite them labeling themselves as "Thrash", they seem to have achieved what they set out to do with WHITE WIZZARD originally, this is a brand new take on the whole New Wave of Heavy Metal movement that is happening right now. They take the speed, precision and technical skill from the Thrash arena and then use the epic soaring vocal lines, riff style and arrangements more commonly found in NWOBHM (it is nice to hear a clean, crunchy tone for Thrash music for once) and let me tell you this right now: HOLY GRAIL are destined for big things.

If you are bored with the current landscape of music then I advise you to check these guys out ASAP, you won't regret it!