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Just one look at the cover of this Indian band’s debut album, Beyond Raging Thunder, should be enough to tell you they are going for an ‘80s style of heavy metal. The band name font, the subject matter, style of artwork, etc. is thoroughly old school. Musically, Mustang plays upbeat traditional heavy metal with some good riffs and solos and plenty of fantasy-based lyrics. Current acts like Sin Starlett, Screamer, Air Raid, etc. are good reference points, though Mustang also get a bit creepy in spots, like "Realm of Madness," so a hint of Mercyful Fate can be heard here and there. Singer Arijit "Piercer" Dutta can hit some piercingly high screams (his nickname is apt), not unlike King Diamond; however, his mid-range is average at best and he’s often off-key, especially on the band’s cover of Judas Priest’s "Ram it Down" where he really struggles. The bridge is particularly hard to sit through as are many of the harmony vocals. This combination of decent music and dodgy vocals, not to mention the lack of any true killer tracks, makes Beyond Raging Thunder a mixed bag. I don’t want to dissuade a young band, especially one from a country like India where traditional metal doesn’t have as much of a presence as the extreme genres, but Mustang is going to need to address their vocal issues and keep working to write better songs if they want to make any waves internationally. The potential is there, so I’ll be rooting for them to step it up on their next album.