War of Thrones – Conflict in Creation

After a few years in the works, the US heavy metal act War of Thrones has recently launched their debut full-length album Conflict in Creation. A mix of power metal and Judas Priest is extremely evident throughout the record’s eleven tracks, though a few songs perfectly emphasize the combination in different ways. 

The opening “Ascending” works as a fantastic introduction to War of Thrones to many, containing much of the tasteful performances and catchy songwriting to expect from the band. Heavy and fast riffing, drumming, and bass playing all appear throughout the piece. Though the material may not be very unique or creative compared to many of the band’s own contemporaries in the genre, the song defines that the band will bring great performances with heavy and fun power metal; succeeding as a fun listen. Other fast paced and bombastic tracks like “Savior” and “Say What“ continue in a similar style throughout the album; reflecting the better parts of both Judas Priest and power metal’s repertoire.

Conflict in Creation

That said, the album does contain the other side of the coin for the power metal aspect of their sound. The occasional filler present in this source pervades the entire release; fortunately, War of Thrones does pull a few surprises on this album, such as the lengthier “Aftermath.” It tries something new among the numerous similar-sounding songs. The song uses synthesizers and Wade Black singing throughout the song to carry it, being one of the first longer and ballad-like songs that the band would compose. Though this song may drag on for a little long, it is a memorable song due to its melodic and enjoyable writing that shows a surprising second dimension to this release. Compared to much of the release, the song brings something new to the table and is not overtly redundant; a problem that the albums and bands of this genre orientation often struggle against.

Containing creative writing on both faster and slower songs, War of Thrones manages to deliver an enjoyable debut. Though the band’s love for Judas Priest cannot be ignored, they manage to create numerous noteworthy songs. Get the album from Amazon here.