Release Title: Flight Of The Griffin
Release Type: Full Length Album
Release Year: 1984
Artist Genre: Power/Speed Metal
Artist Origin: USA
My Rating: 84%
Track Listing:
1. Hawk The Slayer 2. Heavy Metal Attack 3. Submission 4. Creeper 5. Flight Of The Griffin 6. Fire In The Sky 7. Hell Runneth Over 8. Judgement Day 9. Travelling In Time
1. Hawk The Slayer 2. Heavy Metal Attack 3. Submission 4. Creeper 5. Flight Of The Griffin 6. Fire In The Sky 7. Hell Runneth Over 8. Judgement Day 9. Travelling In Time
Griffin's "Flight Of The Griffin" is one of the forefathers of US power metal. Along with the Queensryche EP, Jag Panzer's "Ample Destruction", Helstar's "Burning Star" and Omen's "Battle Cry", it was one of the first landmark releases in this definitive strain of Power Metal, building on the epic songs of previous traditional metal bands such as Maiden, Priest and NWOBHM bands, it used emphasis on epic vocal stylings and subtle uses of the guitar to create grandiose atmosphere as well as strikingly good riffs and catchy choruses. Griffin's debut delivers on all these fronts and most of the songs here work great on their own and have enough ideas up their sleeve to leave you impressed. The vocals have a nice shrieky quality which compliment the dark guitars perfectly as well as well as more of a thrash influence than their contemporaries at that time in USPM.
Particular highlights include the marvellous closer "Travelling In Time" with a killer display of vocals and a superb solo, The title track is also very cool along with the insanely catchy "Submission" and speedy opener "Hawk The Slayer" but every song gets at least 8/10. Definitely one of the BEST and most OVERLOOKED metal albums you can hear.
