Wardress is a heavy metal band from Germany formed in 1984 by guitarist Alex Gor and vocalist Erich Eysn, recording a couple of demos before breaking up the following year. Reforming in 2018, Alex and Erich – accompanied by Mirco Daugsch on bass, Andy Setter on drums and Kimon Roggenbuck on guitar – recorded the band’s 2019 debut album ‘Dress For War’. The sophomore album ‘Metal ‘Til The End’ was released in 2023.
Across a blistering forty minutes, Wardress have returned to batter the metal community into submission with eight heavy-hitting anthemic metallers. Every song on offer smells strongly of the glorious eighties and the iconic NWOBHM sound – the album exploding into life with the frantically paced ‘Berserk’. And a scowling vocal performance that’s going to send shivers down the spines of listeners everywhere – Erich belting out the lyrics with frenzied excitement bordering on anger! A simply red hot scorcher of an opening salvo, the band follow it with the barnstorming title song ‘Metal ‘Til The End’ – galloping furiously with both feet firmly planted on the monitor! Wardress shows their prowess at delivering a sound pioneered over forty years ago by British metallers Angel Witch, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Saxon, and Venom. What an opening double!
That immediately becomes a triple – ‘Motorlust’ taking up the baton and running fast! Just as fast as the two previous songs but with a lot more menace and aggression – Erich’s vocals are nearing a growl as he belts harder than ever. And now for a spectacular treat, Wardress cover an Ozzy Osbourne all-time classic – ‘Mr. Crowley’ (taken from Ozzy’s 1980 debut album ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’). The band did a terrific job, too – I thought they were gonna ramp up the pace, but no, Wardress kept to the original pace! As well as emanating the same kind of eerie chill that Ozzy did over four decades ago! Four decades! Has it really been that long! Fuck me, I’m getting old! The self-titled ‘Wardress’, is a supersonic slice of head bang-able speedy metal – the classic gallop of traditional heavy metal shining brightly. And why wouldn’t it – Wardress formed during the mid-eighties at the height of heavy metal evolution. So I guess the traits of traditional metal were embedded in the band’s sound way back then.
And resurfaced nearly forty years later to great effect!
The album marches on with the majestic stride of ‘Serpent Kiss’, and a mighty foot stomp heavy enough to crumble walls and reduce small buildings to rubble! Wardress shows their proficiency at delivering other styles of metal and not just all-out galloping gourmets. Although the band do return to blistering speed for ‘Serves You Right’ – screaming across the land to leave only desolation in its wake. The mosh pits are gonna go fucking crazy for this one – every mosher rocking their head back and forth at an extreme rate of knots!
Bringing the album to a close, ‘Metal Melodies’ is a new anthem for metalheads – a very fast and furious anthem! The fastest of all the songs on offer, Wardress are in a feisty mood here, delivering one of the most melodious choruses you’re ever likely to hear – and singing a long able too! The incredible rabble-rousing call-to-arms nature of ‘Metal Melodies’ is gonna live long in the memories of every listener, fan and follower everywhere.
Overall, a blistering romp of traditional heavy metal, ‘Metal ‘Til The End’ is infectious and highly head bang-able.
TRACKLIST
Berserk
Metal Til The End
Motorlust
Mr. Crowley
Wardress
Serpents Kiss
Serves You Right
Metal Melodies
Wardress: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: MDD Records
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
