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Beyond The Wall

    
       
       
       
     
             
Metalian are a heavy metal band from Canada formed in 2002, releasing four albums to date - 'Wasteland' (2009), 'Midnight Rider' (2017), 'Vortex' (2019), and 'Beyond The Wall', released in 2022...    
             
...featuring ten songs and forty four minutes of all out balls out heavy metal! Think legends Judas Priest and their brand of power driven metal - that's the essence of Metalian. And it shines through on 'Beyond The Wall' - just listen to the anticipation fuelled two minute build up of album opener 'March To Death'...simply stunning! And when 'March To Death' finally breaks free and runs amok - classic sounding heavy metal fills the air like smoke from a smoke machine! As do fists - raised high in the night sky as the band keep the pedal to the metal and simply roar loud - very loud! What an incredible opening salvo!    
             
Maintaining the electrifying pace, Metalian power on with the fast and furious 'Motorhorse', once again echoing the power driven metal style of Judas Priest. 'Motorhorse' is traditional "foot on the monitor" fare, with head bang ability at one hundred percent. With the band galloping furiously, 'Fire On The Road' steps on the gas even further, becoming the fastest song heard so far. Metalian are pulling no punches with their new album, the heavy metal pouring out thick and fast. None more so than the thundering 'Last Chance To Ride', featuring a gallop akin to the "gallop" creators Iron Maiden - the bands separated by three and a half thousand miles, yet the Canadian outfit echoing the legendary metal pioneers perfectly.    
             
And whoa... All pace dramatically disappears in favour of a doom laden hymn-like ballad - 'Solar Winds' not sitting comfortably in any style. The sudden change in tempo is dramatic, and one of the biggest surprises on the album. The blistering first four songs set a precedent that the band have just demolished, and then rebuilt with Black Sabbath building blocks! Still heavy metal, just a different angle. Even mellower, is the intro to 'Rise Of The AI' - a guitar led passage backed with choir like chanting sees out the first minute, before thundering heavy metal takes over. And we're back head banging like our lives depend on it, planting one foot on the monitor as we do so. The title song 'Beyond The Wall' is a fast and furious romp to get the adrenaline flowing, the heart pounding rhythm infectious and catchy - and as for the chant style chorus..."beyond the wall" is gonna be screamed by everyone!    
             
The glorious sound of the iconic NWOBHM makes its weighty presence felt with the barnstorming 'Behind The Lies' - and I reckon if you didn't know to the contrary...you'd swear that Metalian was a British band. Their aura encapsulates everything that British heavy metal stands for. Kudos Metalian, kudos. Pace quickens for the red hot scorcher 'Cold Thunder', bringing a little of the raucous nature of punk to the album. The blend of heavy metal finesse with the chaotic style of punk works really well here, keeping heads furiously nodding back and forth. Ending the album is 'Dark City', the most melodic of all the songs on offer, sounding out of place with regards to the sound of everything that has gone before...maybe it's cover! I'll be back in a mo... Nope, it appears to be a Metalian original - just rockier than everything else.    
             
Overall, a fast and furious album of traditional heavy metal, infectious and catchy, featuring a heavy old school vibe.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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