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Doomsday Script

    
       
       
       
     
             
Runelord are a heavy/power metal band from Sweden, releasing a linked trilogy of albums to date - 'A Message From The Past' (2018), 'The Battle For Greatness' (2018), and 'Doomsday Script', released in 2022.    
             
The last chapter of the trilogy, 'Doomsday Script' takes you on an epic sword and sorcery adventure to the Bicameral World and beyond. Written by Fredrik Holm, and delivered by Cederick Forsberg (Blazon Stone, Palantir) and Georgy Peichev (The Outer Limits, Mosh-Pit Justice), 'Doomsday Script' is a thundering ten songs and fifty minutes of fast paced anthemic heavy metal, with 'Armed For Danger' launching the album in feisty mood - the first minute building a tension filled atmosphere, switching to a heavy foot stomping one, as the snarling throaty vocals crash in! And then 'Armed And Dangerous' explodes into life to become a galloping and fairly traditional sounding metal anthem. What a bold and brash opening offer...and one I'll buy!    
             
Somehow I missed the bands first two albums (so I'll have to go back and listen) but I'm very glad I haven't missed their third - 'Doomsday Script' (the album) storming on with the gorgeous galloper 'Humuniculus Beast Man'. And an absolute beast of an infectious nature - the aura of "foot on the monitor" highly evident. In the shape of 'Humuniculus Beast Man', the band have delivered one of the best power driven heavy metal anthems I have heard since Judas Priest's 'Firepower' (2018). Simply breath taking! Moving swiftly on, Runelord turn the heat up with the fast paced 'Time To Temper' - and a gear changing breakdown as dramatic as Slayer's mid song breakdown during 'Raining Blood' Yes, that's right readers, I've compared 'Time To Temper's breakdown with a forty year old seminal one! The title song 'Doomsday Script' is a boisterous barrage of lightning quick metal - so quick in fact that neck muscles are gonna be stretched in a (vain) attempt to keep up. Metalheads all around the world thoroughly enjoying the challenge - we die hard metallers don't really care about neck injuries...especially when the metal is this fucking good!    
             
And can this album get any better? Yes it fucking can! The band rolling on with the blistering 'Golden Chamber', and the fiercest vocal performance heard so far. There has been aggression and menace throughout 'Doomsday Script' (the album) since it began, but only now is it rising to the surface to be taken notice of. The band doing a stellar job of keeping it in check up to this point. With a melodic mellowness not heard previously, 'Holy Heathen Legion' glides in on the wave of a sublime short passage, exploding into life in a frenzy of fast and furious galloping. Runelord are a rampaging beast, cutting and thrusting with immense force, and a hungry desire to deliver head bang-able heavy metal to the masses - the masses of listeners, fans and followers that are, right now, head banging like crazy! And without dropping the intensity for a single moment, the band storm on with the red hot scorching 'Hels Mental Slaves' - and a pace that's gonna keep the mosh pits moving for an eternity. Bloody hell Runelord, you certainly know how to deliver maximum head bang ability!    
             
And with no break in the levels of intensity, tempo and pace, the band move on with the thundering 'Corrupt Midgard' - full of energy and pizzazz and an overwhelming amount of head bang ability. I know I've mentioned head banging a lot during my review - but it's for a very good reason! The amount of head banging you'll be doing during this album is gonna be more than you've ever done before - every song is gonna keep those neck muscles flexing hard. None more so than for a new anthem for metalheads - Runelord delivering an absolute stunner in the shape of 'Bliss For Metalheads'. Instantly the infectious level rises to new heights, the guitar sound the stuff of heavy metal heaven, and the chorus - oh my God - chant-able or what! I can see an amazing in concert sing a long happening here...as long as the band perform this one live. Bringing a very good album to a close, is the nigh on seven minute self titled song 'Runelord' - opening with a bold and mystical sounding intro. Adopting a mighty foot stomping anthemic feel as it gets underway (proper), 'Runelord' runs along a tension filled knife edge, striding majestically with head high high. And the emphatic change of pace may just take some listeners by surprise, but crikey the intensity of the album as a whole remains unbroken, as the band end 'Doomsday Script' (the album) with a final flourish.    
             
Overall, a blistering fifty minutes of all out heavy metal, fuelled with an immense amount of energy and an infectious level that is simply sky high.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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