Canada is starting to become like Sweden in its preternatural ability to recapture great musical eras. Case in point is TRAVELER, a traditional Heavy Metal band that hearkens fans back to the glory days of NWOBHM. On February 23, 2024, the band released their third album, “Prequel to Madness,” on No Remorse Records. The album is a fist-full of yesteryear, serving up melodic riffs with twin-guitar harmonies; clean, soaring vocals; and a rhythm section that alternates between galloping and punching.

“Prequel to Madness” comprises nine tracks and runs for just under 39 minutes. Except for the final track “Prequel to Madness,” which clocks in at over seven minutes, and the instrumental intro, “Mayday,” at 1:15, all the tracks come in bite size chunks—e.g. three to four minutes. Thematically, the album centers on character sketches and dark vignettes illustrating the people and scenes that make up our modern-day world teetering on the edge of madness. Despite its sobering theme, the album comes across as optimistic—perhaps a natural byproduct of clean vocals, triumphant crescendos, and loads of melodic phrasing. There’s just an overriding sense of harmony and alignment that comes with NWOBHM—80% concordance, 20% distortion all cranked to 11. 

The album is extremely consistent with very few valleys and hills. Standout tracks are “Rebel of the Earth” with a drop and rebuild at mid-track which is utterly perfect; “Dark Skull” with its wicked riff and gorgeous solo; and, of course, the title track and closer, “Prequel to Madness,” a Prog-proportioned race across seven-minute expanse which only lets up in the last 30 seconds when it walks us to the door with an acoustic outro. Drummer Nolan Benedetti more than earns his keep on this track.

I’m not sure how much of a market there is for NWOBHM these days, but TRAVELER deserves a fair amount of the trade. Extreme Metal fans may find “Prequel to Madness” a little too clean and predictable for their tastes but lovers of classic rock and traditional Heavy Metal will thrill at this latest album from TRAVELER.