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Drifter is a new band from New York that is going for a NWOBHM aesthetic on their 2021 demo. The cover art is spare and has a hand-drawn look, the music is the simple, galloping hard rock/heavy metal characteristic of the early '80s British sound, and the band name is the same as an Iron Maiden track from Killers. The four songs sound like they could easily have been written in 1981 and languished in someone's tape collection for 40 years. Each one has a simple riff, galloping bass, and mid-range vocals with hooky choruses. The topics are also very '80s, dealing with women and the kind of mild violence that was more implied than spelled out in gory detail and would soon ratchet up with the advent of thrash and later death metal. I can't say any of the songs is a revelation though they are played well enough, and you can feel main man Leo Kabat's conviction as he delivers his lines and leads. If Drifter were around back in the '80s, I'd group them with second-tier NWOBHM bands like Gaskin or Battleaxe and, as for today's acts, they are aspiring to what High Spirits and Haunt are doing. Drifter is not amazing, but not bad, and I've always got room for some early '80s rocking heavy metal in my rotation. Here's hoping their next release sees them taking a step or two forward.