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With the unrelenting speed of early Wizard, the gravelly vocals of Motörhead and the melody of Iron Maiden, Thunder Lord's second album, Heavy Metal Rage, reminds us that Metal music, at its core, is about power, speed and aggression. Tracks like "Dark Rider," "Crusaders" and "Mithrandir" stomp hard on the gas and never let up. The riffing is brisk and melodic and the solos compact and punchy. This kind of stuff has been done numerous times, by the likes of Ranger, Enforcer and Striker, but Thunder Lord achieves a bit of separation from the pack by giving Heavy Metal Rage a raw edge and an almost Thrash vibe. There's nothing stunning about the songwriting and the lyrics cover familiar ground but that in no way stops it from being a fun time when it is on. Here's another one for you 80s revivalists.