Amethyst - Throw Down the Gauntlet (2024)

4★

After releasing their EP, Rock Knights, at the tail end of 2022, Switzerland's own AMETHYST garnered some deserved success, showcasing their unique spin on the age-old hard 'n' heavy sound pioneered by bands like Thin Lizzy, UFO, and Wishbone Ash. With this success came a new desire from fans, however -- but now it's here: AMETHYST's debut full-length, Throw Down the Gauntlet.

While admittedly more in the hard rock sound than before, AMETHYST still usher in a metallic thunder. Their riffs are glassy and full of a great energy that a lot of newer hard rock/heavy metal bands just can't seem to capture without sounding like copycats, lending themselves to infectious melodies rather than the overdone machismo of traditional metal. In relation to this, when they do crank up the metal, they rock hard. Tracks like "Rock Knights" and "Take Me Away" reinforce their delicate balance of the hard 'n' heavy sound, making sure to keep the album exciting as the album cycles through its 41-minute runtime. Furthermore, everyone seems to be on their A game, with brilliant melodic lead guitar sections, punchy and adrenaline-inducing drumming, and some killer basslines underneath it all. Vocally, Fredric Ekbørg is right in that range I want from this kind of music, with a mix of amateur-sounding vocals and his charming German-Swiss inflections in English. That may read as negative, but believe me, it's not at all -- it actually fits the songwriting perfectly and I wouldn't have it any other way.

If you're a fan of hard rockin' heavy metal with twin guitars, soaring melodies, and great rhythm work, then look no further; AMETHYST's Throw Down the Gauntlet is here to save you.

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FAVORITE TRACKS: “Stand Up and Fight,” “Rock Knights,” “Serenade (Under the Rising Moon)”

FOR FANS OF: Thin Lizzy, Freeways, Century

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