MACE 'N' CHAIN is a solo project by David Nilsson, formed in 2020, to express his admiration for classic Heavy Metal. The album does cross over into Power Metal a bit, mostly with the epic lyrical content, but stays relatively true to 80s Metal. Crushing guitars, powerful bass, and intricate drum work are the primary staples you'll find here, leaving you drained from the intensity. The debut album, Among Ancient Pillars, released on March 24, 2023, via No Remorse Records.

From the start, you hear intense, powerful riffing with rapid-fire drums and thundering bass. "Bloodied Talons" is heavy. The voice is, as it must be to keep up with the music, something to behold. You get everything from lower cleans to gritty screams and belted highs. One of the better belted notes is the harmonized note leading into the guitar solo. Fans of Power Metal know that when you start naming songs things like "The Key To Ancient Riddles" and "By The Peal Of Thunder," there is going to be massive guitar riffs and frequent leads and fills, then there will be the epic solos. The lyrical content is pure Epic Metal in its stylings. It takes a certain attitude to pull off an album like this, and David Nilsson has it. It takes intestinal fortitude to do this by yourself.

"Mound Of Ashen Skulls" is another of those songs with the Power Metal title. The guitar work is a nice chugging Heavy Metal riff with a killer rhythm supporting it. The vocal power needed to soar over this kind of music is hard to come by, so it is pretty cool that the person who does all the instrumentation is also that voice. David is definitely a very well-rounded musician and composer.

One of the surprises from this album is that there is no epic Power Ballad. There is room for one, so apparently the writer did not feel one was needed. I will never complain about an album having too many heavy riffed tracks. MACE 'N' CHAIN proves that the heaviness can be sustained for an entire album with ease. This one will definitely leave you with a sore neck and sore throat from yelling the lyrics at the top of your lungs.