Vainglory are a power metal band from the States, featuring the female vocal talents of Chastain’s Kate French and the shredding guitar work of Corbin King. Their debut album, 2050, had a male vocalist so this is a bit of a departure for album number two. 

Vainglory certainly put the power into power metal with their breed of “all-out attack” style playing. Dan Lynch on drums must have had to lie down for a week after recording this, as he barely skips a beat for the entire length of the album, absolutely pounding out a monster rhythm with bassist Chris Banja over which King totally shreds one humungous riff after another. 

From the opening bars of “Walking Dead” it is clearly evident what you are in for and they just never take their feet off the collective pedals until you are battered into submission over an hour later. 

French’s vocals are extremely impressive, although on occasions she struggles to be heard over the aural assault going on all round her. I’m not sure if this is just in the mixing, but I would be surprised if this wasn’t also the case in the live arena, although to be fair I don’t think I could name any singer that would easily be heard over such a powerful cacophony of noise. She certainly has all the hallmarks of a traditional metal singer – power, screams and emotion are all evident by the bucketload. 

Vainglory are definitely in the Slayer, sometimes even Primal Fear mould, but the female vocals add a very different slant on proceedings, whilst allowing absolutely no concessions to the fairer sex of the vocalist. French is one of the few women I’ve ever heard that can really hold her own in the very heaviest of settings. 

This is certainly not a release for the faint-hearted and I felt like I’d been the proverbial ten rounds with Mike Tyson after just one spin. It’s incredibly well played throughout and I have no doubt that it will prove to be an immensely popular release with those that adore the in-your-face, non-stop power fest style of metal, but it’s just too full-on for my personal taste.

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Track Listing

Walking Dead
Burdened
The Only Way I Know
Face Of Death
Midnight Hellfire
Undying Love
Decapitation Attack
Act Of God
Vainglory
Endlessly
Blackened Soul
My Living Hell

 Line Up

Kate French – vocals
Corbin King – guitars
J.M. Youngblood – guitars
Chris Banja – bass
Dan Lynch – drums