Vancouver is a beautiful city in the west of Canada, and the hometown for our Heavy Metal band of the day, MAULE. They formed in 2017 and have just released their debut album, aptly titled "Maule", and it's bloody easy to categorise. In the information I got it says that they play in the spirit of NWOBHM (for those not in the know, that says New Wave Of British Heavy Metal), but I'll even be more exact than that: they are actually a surprisingly good reincarnation of IRON MAIDEN during their "Piece Of Mind" era. So, review done.

Well, not exactly, as that remark will need to be elaborated for you as a reader to understand why I have typed just such a statement. The guitar riffs are so much reminiscent of the great MAIDEN that sometimes it becomes scary. You really expect Dave Murray and Adrian Smith to have penned and/or played on everything you hear. Same goes for the drums. If that doesn't shout Nicko McBrain at you, I really don't know what does.

The big differences are that the bass player is not as prominent as it is with their English counterparts, but most of all there's vocalist Jakob Weel, who does have a bit of Bruce Dickinson when he tries to be really loud. You even hear some Paul Di'anno come through when he distorts his voice. But he also has his own kind of voice, which is more mellow than his peers. He knows when to use what voice, and that suits the music just fine.

The last difference is the quality of the songs. Like I mentioned, this could have been "Piece Of Mind" part two, as the songs really have the same kind of vibe as the original album. Quality-wise though, they have exceeded my expectation. The tunes might not be as elaborate or epic in stature, they do have that kind of unqualifiable extra ingredient that makes you realise that the songs really are quite good. They have that atmosphere of excitement, adventure and youthful exuberance that the mighty MAIDEN still exposed to us around that time.

So, if you think you need more old-style IRON MAIDEN in your life, why not try something new and listen to MAULE. I feel they will certainly be able to astound you with their music, their enthusiasm and their attitude. I for one applaud their ability to be as good as they are on "Maule".