Metal disaster: SKELATOR seeks victims to let the hammer fall, you shall vanish if willing to save your life from this steel warlust. SKELATOR plays uncompromising Metal, in the Epic/Speed Metal field, but denotes there's no room for concession over here. Time Of The Sworld Rulers speaks the truth. Obey or beware.
This is a compilation, consisting of the whole Swords and The Gore Of War respective EPs. Sword was originally released in 2005 (after the band had already delivered three demo works) while The Gore Of War came out one year later, as a split album with brutal deathsters GUTROT. Adding two previously unreleased bonus cuts, Time Of The Sword Rulers now hit the stores through the Metal On Metal label.
SKELATOR (the band exists for nearly ten years now) can please both fans of 'true' Epic Metal and 'philthy' Metal beerdrinkers. Quite known in San Diego's Metal scene, SKELATOR step on the Metal basics of the 80s so as to deliver good dozes of Power/Epic Metal in the vain of MANOWAR, BROCAS HELM, SKULLVIEW and DOMINE on one hand, while they can actually perform more violent Metal music in faster parts, towards the likes of e.g. STORMWARRIOR or AGENT STEEL or (even) EXCITER/VENOM.
Both EPs are remixed, with a descent sound and applicable mix. The vocals are maniacal, with shrieks and epic wartones; rather 'raw' for today's metalhead. Gunfire is the job for the instruments, with vice and rigid lust; the songwriting is not that complex but is rather possessed by the 'Metal mania' spirit. Special reference should be made to the 15-minute track called The Wrath Of Odin's Sons, with its lyrics based on the Christians' massacre provided by the Odin-guided Vikings; a song full of Power/Epic/Speed/Thrash onslaught.
Many may consider this music/sound naive for the requirements of today. Not a single tear to fall; when Metal was noisy and 'stubborn', it was the time of bands like SKELATOR; OK, they sound outdated but who cares but this if music does not actually have an expiration date? I like SKELATOR 'cause they are both full-of hatred warriors aiming to take your head but also thrashin' vagabonds baptized in metallic madness.