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Infernal Manes is a Norwegian Heavy Metal band and their debut full-length is a self-titled affair that was recorded back in 2004 but is just seeing a broad release courtesy of Edged Circle Productions. It is short with only six songs and just a 33:47 running time which is somewhat reminiscent of Warlord’s first album. Musically, however, Iron Maiden is the main influence with lots of harmonized guitar work and galloping bass. The production is old school with lots of echo, especially on the guitars, and that brings a smile to this old metal curmudgeon. The opening riff of "Infernal Manes" is a little too close to "Aces High" but that’s the closest Infernal Manes gets to plagiarism. The rest of the album is plain hero worship, including a cover of Mercyful Fate’s classic "Come to the Sabbath."

If it were just about the guitars, bass and drum Infernal Manes would be an absolutely killer release but the vocals are a serious problem. Singer TJ Cobra, who left the band after Infernal Manes was recorded, has power but is so wild and untrained, he often sings himself out of tune. He’s like an off-key John Gallagher. Surprisingly, he does his best work on "Come to the Sabbath" a song with the kind of vocal lines I expected would give him fits but that’s not the case.

At the end of the day this is a pretty entertaining release, provided you can overlook the sour notes strewn about by Cobra. Fans of less well-known bands like OZ, Omen, Nasty Savage etc. should check it out.