The Metal Crypt on Facebook  The Metal Crypt's YouTube Channel
Review: AxMinister - Vir Fortis
AxMinister
axminister.ca
Vir Fortis

Label: Independent
Year released: 2023
Duration: 28:56
Tracks: 3
Genre: Heavy Metal

Rating:
2/5


Review online: May 26, 2023
Reviewed by: MetalMike
Readers' Rating
How do you rate this release?

Rated 4/5 (80%) (8 Votes)
Review

I didn't think much of AxMinister's 2018 EP The Crucible of Sin with its yappy, crossover-influenced power/thrash, but when Vir Fortis, their 2023 follow-up EP, showed up with its comically low budget yet charmingly authentic '80s cover, I figured it was time to give them another shot. This time out, the Torontonians give us three tracks, the 17+ minute monster "The Age of Napoleon... The Rise" and a couple of shorter tracks about Vlad the Impaler. Something of an eclectic mix of lyrical inspiration but the band clearly isn't afraid of taking a few chances. Musically, AxMinister goes for a much more traditional heavy metal sound with Manowar and Iron Maiden influences not hard to discern (especially all the Maiden-styled changes in "The Age of Napoleon"). Getting back to the lyrics, I'm no literary scholar and I would say whoever wrote the words to these songs wasn't either. They are heavy-handed and clunky, forced into clumsy vocal lines and are even a bit cringy here and there in their blatant unsubtlety. The music is no treat either, combining some decent riffs with lots of dull, repetitive passages and overindulgent noodling resulting in songs that I just wanted to be over shortly after they started. I give AxMinister style points for not doing the same thing over and over, but the execution is sorely lacking on Vir Fortis.

More about AxMinister...
Review: The Crucible of Sin (reviewed by MetalMike)
Review: The Crucible of Sin (reviewed by Mjölnir)
Click below for more reviews
Latest 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Various Books/Zines 



The Metal Crypt - Crushing Posers Since 1999
Copyright  © 1999-2024, Michel Renaud / The Metal Crypt.  All Rights Reserved.