There's a first time for everything, and my introduction to Heavy Metal from Italy was with WITCHUNTER, a five-person Speed Metal band from Martinsicuro. Since their formation in 2007, the group has released three full-length albums, the most recent being "Back on the Hunt" in 2016. They've traveled all over Europe and will be performing in Austria this year at Mountains of Madness 2017. Even though they're from a country known more for its pasta and meatballs than its metal, WITCHUNTER has an impressive repertoire for a fairly new band to enter the scene and crank out some of the most electrifying live videos to share on their Facebook page. On top of this, the group enlisted help from professional artist Paolo Girardi to hand-paint one of the coolest, most detailed album covers I've ever seen for their 2016 release, so the album impressed me before I even had a chance to listen to it.

The album opens with eerie sci-fi/synth noises blended with melancholy acoustic guitar which overlaps an increasingly loud chugging guitar riff in the background. This creates "Back on the Hunt", a short track which serves the simple purpose of building suspense, and does it well. The next song, "Lady in White," starts off slow but soon fires off into a traditional Speed Metal riff which highlights the drums. Di Leo's style of vocals is undoubtedly similar to those of early IRON MAIDEN, combined with the slightly glam sound of bands like MÖTLEY CRUE. The standout point of the song was the isolation of the bass and choppy guitar riffs, which exploded into a solo that screams Heavy Metal.

"Vultures Stalking" is definitely heavier than "Lady in White," and draws influence from bands like MOTÖRHEAD with the classic Speed Metal drums and rapid-fire distortion guitar riffs. The Thrash breakdown around 2:30 was pure brutality and sounded like it could be found on any SLAYER album. They do it well, but I couldn't get rid of the pervasive sense of déjà vu, I felt like I had heard most of these riffs somewhere before. "Hounds of Rock" is probably one of the best songs on the album. It's high energy and has a swinging, catchy guitar riff, both prerequisites for a Heavy Metal hit. Di Leo's voice fits right in with the groove, and what really stood out here was the rhythm. The drums and guitar were impeccable and formed a flawless counterpart for the squealing, shredding solo.

"Nightmare" is another solid song. It starts off with a slow, a pounding guitar rhythm and chugs into a drum and bass-heavy Thrash track. Cetroni is pretty much perfect on drums. His talent really shines through in the songs where the drums float above the guitar riffs and his steady rhythm keeps the tracks centered. "Midnight Sin" is a kickass Speed Metal anthem that again stars Cetroni's masterful drumming. He thrashes along behind the wailing guitar riffs, and still manages to stand out. This track also revealed that Di Leo has an insane vocal range. He can hit notes like David Lee Roth, and this is only made better by the crazy guitar work in the solo which matches Di Leo's intensity.

"Losing Control" is a Heavy Metal banger that rips into the album with fretboard slides and Bluesy riffs. The guitar work here is exceptional, however, I wish there was more of a vocal melody and less focus on making an arms race out of hitting high notes. Though Di Leo can wail out soprano notes like no other, they seemed a bit out of place in this otherwise heavy song. "Lucifer's Blade" is a chugging, heavy song which I thought was a much-needed blast of pure metal. The guitar riffs are sheer power and speed, and the syncopated chorus emphasized the rhythm of the bass and guitar. Di Leo's singing took on a darker, more growling tone here, and clicked perfectly into place with the rest of the instruments.

"Achilles' Last Stand", originally a LED ZEPPELIN song, led into the main riffs with liberal use of the wah pedal. WITCHUNTER's interpretation gave a NWOBHM-ish feel to an otherwise toned-down Classic Rock tune. The slightly distorted guitars and bass added depth and power to this song, and Di Leo's distinctive voice tied it together to make it a strong finish to a great album. Overall, WITCHUNTER is a prime example of traditional Speed and Thrash Metal. While they don't introduce anything new to the genre, and can at times sound a little too similar to other acts, they know what they're good at and they capitalize on the heaps of talent their members have.