This Axe Swings Mighty

Alex Starbreaker, the one man behind this project, reached out to us here at TheNWOTHM to give his band’s debut EP a review. I was happy to oblige, as both a reviewer and as a listener. These down n dirty demos are the meat and potatoes of heavy metal for me. Countless legends were forged solely off of their demo tape, and for some, that’s all they ever even released. But even if a band or artist only manages one single track, let alone a demo, that still places them firmly within the hallowed halls of heavy metal history. CRESCENT AXE is the latest band to walk among the Titans, Gods, and Monsters within that ever-expanding landmark.

Alongside STONE FANG, CRESCENT AXE also joins a personal collection of one-person projects that I’ve been so privileged to review for the site.

REVIEW

“Tremendous Fall”. Riffs galore! The main riff of the track was exquisite in execution, yet simple (which is how riffs should be). Vocally, Starbreaker’s pipes reminded me a bit of Chronos of VENOM-fame, as well as someone else that I know but can’t quite place. Maybe Quorthon (which I still have no idea how to pronounce), but I can’t be sure. There’s a bit of LEGENDARIUM that I picked up on as well. Another big standout was the drumming for sure, just absolute pounding beats like a God of olde conjuring up great thunders.

“End of Time”. Speaking of drums, this one opened up with some slick First Wave of Black Metal reminiscent beats. Oh yeah, it’s definitely Quorthon that I’m picking up on. The chorus in this was a treat as well, the repeated “Oh no!” was great mid 80s extreme metal. Once more, I have to give a huge amount of credit to the riffs. Incredible solo to boot, and this was a treat to the ears.

“Under the Sign”. A nearly 8 minute long track to close out the demo, a bold undertaking Starbreaker. As with the previous two tracks, this was pure outright FWOBM worship. As someone who is only just now starting to expand into the more extreme side of heavy metal, I loved this one, but I still adore the harmonies and melodies of the rest of metaldom. Speaking, a standout melodic instrumental portion and solo bookended the demo, complete with a part in said solo that somehow managed to sound like a flute. We need more flutes in metal.

CONCLUSION

As I said at the onset of this review, I love having the chance to review a band’s first foray into music. To see the infancy of the next generation of metal is a treat that I don’t take for granted. CRESCENT AXE have potential, and there’s a clear passion and talent behind the project. Despite being worship for First Wave Black Metal, don’t think that means that there isn’t diversity to be had here. The instrumentation, especially the guitars, is far more technical than on many FWOBHM records of their day, being more akin to power or speed metal. As are all demos, it has its rough edges, the bass being near silent throughout the mix for starters, but, it’s only a demo, they aren’t made to be perfect. Demos are made for a band to put something out there and say “Check this out!”, a lot like a first draft of a novel. I can’t wait to see what CRESCENT AXE has in store for the NWOTHM community in the coming years, and I’m eternally grateful to have the opportunity to review. Thanks for reaching out, Starbreaker!

TheNWOTHM Score: 8.5/10

CRESCENT AXE‘s debut EP released on 28 November, 2024

CRESCENT AXE
Bandcamp