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Terminus might not be the most metal name for a band but don't let that lull you into a false sense of security. This band from Northern Ireland brings riff after almighty riff on their debut album The Reaper's Spiral. The bottom end from the bass and drums provides a massive foundation from which the guitars weave huge walls of traditional Heavy Metal sound. The vocals, which are a clear baritone shout accented with occasional shrieks, are shouted from the parapets. The lyrics on The Reaper's Spiral deal with fascinating science fiction themes and are worth some extra attention (this coming from someone who generally doesn't pay much attention to the words). It's going to be a long time before I get the chorus to "Poseidon's Children" out of my head; "Through perdition's flames, from Hell's heart I stab at thee!" Herman Melville by way of Khan Noonian Singh. It doesn't get a lot cooler than that.

The Reaper's Spiral certainly owes a debt to Iron Maiden, most notably in the guitar work, but fans of bands like Argus and Visigoth are really going to enjoy Terminus' debut.