I have a confession to make. Receiver here almost got the boot, plucked out of the muck of our review pipe, and unceremoniously dismissed. And I blame the quality of the promo preview that returned a horrible tinny sound. Luckily, things improved once we got our hands on a real copy. Never brutally judge something by its first appearance, right? So very true.
Thus, Whispers of Lore got some real love over here after a few spins. And for cause. The record combines (some of) the exuberance of Splintered Throne with the galloping machinations of Iron Maiden. All of the above comes on a frugal, somewhat barebone setting that lacks so much red-blooded meat, it almost lost the die-hard HM fans over at the review desk. In other words, you won’t find a trve Heavy Metal scream anywhere on this here disk. Instead, brace yerselves for some time machine trip back to the past when metal was still young and juicy.
But the record does come with the traditional twin guitars, bass, and typical drums without keys or other accouterments. The rusty roar of Nikoletta Kyprianou really rounds all of the above up nicely. Her vocal delivery may not be to everybody’s taste, but it’s right in line with the rough-hewn and garage-leaning wares on offer here. A glutinous mix of Melissa Pinion (Stygian Crown) and Lisa Mann (Splintered Throne).
And boy, does the record take its sweet time to showcase its riches. At first, Whispers of Lore surely won’t experiment one bit. The style has been around for a while and Receiver didn’t try to reinvent the proverbial wheel. This is straight ‘ad-hominem’ metal without cute embellishments or other snazzy modern items. And that’s a good thing, authenticity speaks after all. Yet later and further down the tracklist, you’ll find songs that astonished us with their lusty pace followed by a few stellar solos. On top of typical trad riffs that nicely swung into action, led by the Vassiliou / Kyriacou tag team. Oh, and the drummer truly favors the galop at (almost) all times – and that means a lack of variety on the stick-wielding on display.
And what about all those neat little gems scattered across the tracklist? A sing-along chorus greets the avid listener on Arrow with riffing lifted straight from Maiden’s Powerslave era for some sea adventure. Oh, and if you feel like some meat on an otherwise bony contraption, look no further than Raiders of the Night. That one’s got the energy and oomph the rest would deserve some more of. Trespasser impressed us with its deft and dexterous beat that would sit well on any older Judas Priest piece. Firmly paced, and nicely executed Heavy Metal – with an equally neatly botched end. But that’s about the only time that we weren’t impressed at all.
And do you know why Trespass got some traction over here? It isn’t because the RMR crew found some stellar performance and terrific production. This happened because they’re authentic, true, and didn’t veer off the path of real Heavy Metal. Now, the same applies to Receiver. Whispers of Lore sure won’t smash whatever Iron Maiden did to smithereens. But again, their offering is undisputedly genuine and a blast to listen to. An energetic slice of tasty ’80s metallic fun that’s served with a lot of gusto. In addition, the band hails from Cyprus to boot, home of outfits like Arrayan Path or Blynd that famously appeared on RMR. In other words, we’re very far away from that British wave thing that everybody forever boasts about. And that’s yet another good thing.
So, ways to go, Receiver. That’s a pretty strong debut in a genre that many pronounced dead already. Good luck with that sophomore piece. We’re waiting.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Gates of Hell Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 10 November 2023