Heavy Metal. Pseudo-satanic musings galore, high on soaring vocals. A change from rock ‘n’ roll, forged in the flames of arcane evil that will melt said rock, forge it into alloy, and reach new heights of brutality. That was about the tenor once the Heavy Metal movement took on steam – back in the ’80s.
Fast forward to these troubled days. Iron Maiden is still going strong, whereas other players’ days of glory have ceased to exist or are seriously waning. And still you find ‘new’ adepts of these old metal arts that will try to install themselves in a genre that many pronounced dead already. Masochistic urges or trve metallic fervor? The truth is in the mills.
Welcome to Turbo’s world, or more to Turbo’s Tribunal. Andreas Thunbo, by his own words, a veteran of the Heavy Metal arts of “…more than 30 years…”, graces our presence with his newest piece of work called Mills of Tribunal. Only, neither the meager FB-only1 real presence on the mighty internet2 nor the scarce records scattered across a few bands will reach beyond 2009 into the past.
Yet, the fire burning in Thunbo‘s heart truly is Heavy Metal. And of the kind that the framers of the genre really intended. Whenever Mills of Tribunal takes off, you cannot escape the influence of Iron Maiden of – say – the Piece of Mind and Powerslave era, with some parts reaching directly into the terrible The X Factor bubble. And all that goodness rolls in with none of that trademark bluster and exuberance, even if you’ll find some hints here and there. So, the RMR crew found good and bad in a tight embrace. Need some examples? Check out Men of the World or the title track, Mills of Tribunal, for starters.
That said, the man won’t ever come close to Dickinson’s vocal powers, but then he doesn’t need to. The wail is good enough to convey its metallic message. And besides, the vox isn’t only maidenesque. At times, you can detect this typical Ozzy whine emerging from the back of his vocal cords. A tidbit this crew here enjoyed to an extent.
The production, arrangement, mix, and master appear to be pretty solid. You’ll even hear the bass rolling strong behind the scenes. And that means the sound engineer – Thunbo again we presume – pulled out some stops to limit the compression. And that pays back in clarity and crispness. The riffs err a bit on the anemic side, but their pretty melodic construction, elaborate bridges, and often astonishing solos talk of abundant talent available with the master of all instruments. So, by and large, you got yerself a somewhat reserved delivery that favors safety over flamboyance.
So, why did the RMR crew not tout Mills of Tribunal‘s wares with more gusto? Well, you see, it is this one-man show thing all over again. Turbo’s Tribunal took the safe road down Heavy Metal lane. All elements seem to be available in spades, but we get more of a garage-like, roughly constructed, and somewhat robotic record. A concoction largely devoid of red, blood-dripping meat on its scrawny, steely bones. At times, the piece sounds as if it is going places. But then it stops short of ripping this door to metal nirvana off its hinges and stays put in its shadowy abode.
So, the old geezers at the RMR Review Desk mainly missed these pointed corners and sharp edges. One was never sure if the record would finally veer into good ol’ Sunset Boulevard to rehash old tropes or go into Dio mode and reach for those metal stars above. Put differently, if you want to hitch your wagon to the old masters, then you do that with abandon. If not, your proverbial ass will – sadly – join the mass of pretenders dwelling in the smelly underground canals of a totally overloaded genre.
Ultimately, though, Mills of Tribunal indeed showcased a lot of talent that somehow only made a timid appearance. To this I say, Andreas Thunbo, tear down that imaginary wall and let the bear out. If you do that, you’ll go far next time.
Record Rating: 5/10 | Label: Jawbreaker Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 23 January 2026