potent portrayal of power

Siege Perilous is an epic heavy metal band from Evans, Colorado and Creation’s Call is the followup to their debut EP, Betrayal of the Dracolich. I was not familiar with the band when Benevolent Editor Extraordinaire Rob created the call for me to review this aural assemblage. The artwork should give you some idea of what we’re about to get into, so let’s not dillydally and break it down track-by-track…

1. Oathsworn wastes no time and gets right into the action! A poweriffic guitar riff gives way to something that listeners will notice immediately: a nice and gravelly vocal attack from lead singer Shaughnessy McDaniel. Any time music with power metal leanings can do something to stand apart from the pack is very welcome these days. This opener is fairly straightforward and gives you a good idea of what this band is about.

2. Across the Rubicon gets things going and takes us into a nice midtempo stomper. This track will make perceptive listeners think of bands like Sabaton or Civil War as our gravelly storyteller sings across a sonic landscape that sounds like it came out of the Old World. The meat-and-potatoes approach continues to pay off here and will have you ready to march off to war in a distant land!

3. Sons of the Verdant goes into much heavier territory with a twin-guitar attack to kick things off. The aggression is kicked up nicely and the vibe of the instrumentals will remind ye of the power metal stylings of old. The guitar solo is very tasty and very oldschool. It’s nice to see someone show off some skill without going into full-on overblown neoclassical wankery. This track is a simple and effective triumph.

4. Creation’s Call keeps the power metalling going with another heavier track. Some clever lyricism and fun melodies make this a very worthy title track. There’s a nice section where bass, synth, and guitars all intertwine to create a nice interlude before we get back to the action with another brilliantly effective guitar solo. The momentum is definitely kept up here.

5. Brothers of the Five is the closer to this EP and everything kicks into high gear. The drums step to the forefront to create a heavy atmosphere and more epic feel than the songs that came before. Everything gets a chance to shine and this is beyond a worthy closer. It’s the strongest track on this EP and is a very fitting ending. The chorus soars, the guitars shred, and I can easily see a crowd pumping their fists in the air to this one.

Wrapping up:

It gives me great pleasure to tell you that Creation’s Call is a blast. Siege Perilous has succeeded in creating what I would call Epic Power Metal for the Working Man. They don’t waste your time with overlong symphonic interludes between tracks, melodramatic narration, or overproduction that tests the limits of your sanity. The band gets right to the point and pulls you into their epic tales of heroic daring immediately. This is a nice breath of fresh air and if this EP is anything to go by, Siege Perilous has a great future ahead of them. Yes, this could be considered power metal but the no-nonsense approach and urgency to the songwriting makes this release absolutely worth checking out for those of us in the NWOTHM scene. Plus, it’s really just a lot of fun. This one is highly recommended.

tHENWOTHM SCORE: 9/10