And even after all these Years since BLACK SABBATH created Metal and NWOBHM brought it back from the underground depths, the traditional ways are still of passion for many new acts. It’s a good thing, you all known, but it demands a lot from the musicians, because you need to add something of your own to music, to not rely on what many others did before. This is that ON MY COMMAND - an Australian act in traditional Heavy Metal - must work its musical ideas, because “Conquer” shows such thing. Musically, they are good, bringing very good melodies and weight on a traditional form into Heavy Metal, earning influences from NWOBHM, German Metal and US Metal from the 80s (and touches inherited from 70s Hard Rock).

But even this way, the band must work things in a better way, must sharp its efforts, because on the musical instruments everything works in a good way, but the vocals must follow such trend. They’re good, but the band’s music deserves a bit more, and it’s a case of maturing ideas a bit more. Andy Kite mixed and mastered the songs at Against the Grain studios. In his work, everything runs in a good way, but the problems are on the instrumental tunes: it seems that things were done to be something organic and old fashioned, but things are sound weird. And the artwork of Andreas Marschall is very good, depicting what the band plays. But again: don’t confuse music with sonority.

The songs of “Conquer” are good pieces of traditional Heavy Metal with something modern and fresh, and no one can complain about what’s heard on “The Thunder King”, “Burning Desire”, “Gateways” (excellent guitar riffs and arrangements are heard on this one), “By This Sign”, “Shoulders of Giants”, “You Are Beaten”, “Hall of Mirrors”, “Phantasm” and “The Final Battle”, but the fragile sonority and vocals that aren’t fitting 100% on the songs as they need push things backwards.

The best thing to do in the future is: to hire a producer help the band to explore the band’s potential and that can create the right sonority. For now, “Conquer” isn’t a bad release - as ON MY COMMAND isn’t a bad band - but it lacks maturing.