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Checkmate! is the debut album from Queen of Distortion, a female-fronted band out of Germany. They play a mostly traditional style of metal with clear, powerful vocals and a nod to the '80s in terms of the musical direction. The songwriting is mainly based on the traditional blueprint (like the Maiden-inspired riff on "Into the Void"), but Queen of Distortion shake things up with a hint of outlandishness in the performances and even some vocal lines that have a punk or even new wave flavor, notably "New Order" which occasionally sounds like something reminiscent of the B-52s. I can't recall much of Checkmate! once it has finished, so there's work to be done in the songwriting department. What I'm left with is the impression of music that is sometimes Huntress, sometimes Neptune Power Federation and just a little different. If Queen of Distortion can capitalize on that with some better songs, they could be on to something.