Review Summary: Looking for metal that will challenge your mind? These guys aren't for you. But this is a Hell (or Hades?) of a ride.
Line-up for this album:
Steven Rathbone - Vocals, Guitar
Donald James Barraca - Bass
Chris Wozniak - Drums
I suppose since I added this band that I might as well be the first to give them a review. I had never heard Lair of the Minotaur before getting this album. I was looking to expand my 2008 collection as well as my sludge metal collection and had heard that they sounded similar to Mastodon. So I went ahead and downloaded this. What followed was like a fistful of metal to the face (everything about this band is corny, so I can use corny similes).
Lair of the Minotaur is clearly a band that has found its own sound. They are rooted in old school thrash with some doom speckled here and there, and some hardcore for good measure. Steven Rathbone's vocals switch between a primitive shout and shrill screams reminiscent of black metal. He is clearly having a ton of fun between bellowing about metal and Greek mythology and churning out riff after riff (although his lead work is not really a factor). The drums are not superb, but they get the job done. Donald Barraca's bass has one of the dirtiest tones I have ever heard, and is loud and up front during every breakdown.
Here's the problem: They remain stuck in their one sound throughout the album. Most of the songs have the exact same feeling (the one you expect when you read the album title), which, although an awesome feeling, can get tiresome. The lone exception is the nearly 10-minute-long "Doomtrooper." One of the best songs on the album, and some of the fastest 9 minutes and 45 seconds you'll ever listen to, "Doomtrooper" is what you point to if someone asks you how sludge has anything to do with doom metal.
Lyrically, all 8 songs are similar. As most of the song titles give away, you'll encounter a different variation of a warrior or warriors slaying hordes of something or other. There is some form of a blade in every song. Every track is riddled with references to Greek mythology, which I'm OK with, because Greek mythology rules. If this album had been recorded in the mid-90's, it would be the perfect soundtrack to the Disney version of Hercules (as if that movie needed to be more awesome).
But somehow I doubt anyone would listen to an album called "War Metal Battle Master" expecting great lyrics. This album is about riffs, riffs and more riffs. No matter how much maudlin of the Well or even Opeth you listen to, everyone who calls them self a metal fan should have a special place in their heart for this kind of music. It's easy to digest, certainly headbangable, throw-up-the-horns-and-scream metal, and every track is a blast. But it is not an album that you should be compelled to listen to all the way through very often.
Pros:
-Fun
-Great riffage
-Gets your blood pumping
-Doomtrooper
Cons:
-One dimensional
-Extremely corny
-Lacking in solos
This deserves at least a listen.
