Jupiter Has Great Music!

METAL OF JÜPITER (or just Jüpiter) reached out to us directly here at TheNWOTHM, and it wasn’t a name that I had heard before. However, the team behind this burgeoning supergroup is certainly a testament to their NWOTHM-cred. Featuring drummer Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate), guitarists Tomas Ericson and David Olofsson (Helvetets Port), Kyle McNeill (Seven Sisters, Phantom Spell) on keyboards. and Jo Gamel on bass and vocals. Gamel also runs a YouTube channel where she interviews other women in metal in hard rock (linked below!). ENFORCER’s Olof Wickstrand helped mix the single and is producing the album. “Tel-Of-Ur” is the band’s debut single, with the second one (+ a music video) releasing sometime in the fall.

They describe their sound as “a blend of power metal and progressive rock”, and say it is for fans of IRON MAIDEN and URIAH HEEP.

REVIEW

The single titled “Tel-Of-Ur” sounded just as MOJ described, the prog rock influence is certainly apparent (the intro is very 70s prog sounding). This for me, sounded unlike anything else that I have heard before in the NWOTHM landscape. The closest comparison I can think of would be when I first heard Canada’s KONTACT, since it had that same effect on me. Obviously, given the team behind the track, you know you’re getting top-notch writing and excellent musicianship, with Gamel being the one unknown for me. However, after listening to the track several times, I have to say that I do really like her vocal style. She’s got a lot of emotion in her voice and some great pipes.

CONCLUSION

As I said above, this really sounded unlike anything I’d heard before within the NWOTHM realm, and I have to give it mad props for that. I think I might be a Kyle McNeill fanboy at this point honestly, I love everything that he touches. Overall, “Tel-Of-Ur” was a wonderful mix of varying styles, and while I might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it was mine. I am eagerly awaiting for whatever the future holds for METAL OF JÜPITER.

Also, what’s up with a lot of metal bands being themed around, or having songs themed around, Ancient Sumer? First DOUBLEGEDDON, who claim to be resurrected Sumerian deities (shrug emoji) and now this?

TheNWOTHM Score: 9/10

METAL OF JÜPITER’s “Tel-Of-Ur” releases on 17 May, 2024

METAL OF JÜPITER
Instagram (Band)
Instagram (Jo Gamel)
Jo’s YouTube