ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ - The League Of Shadows

12 songs
55:08 minutes
***** ***
Metalville

Bandpage

No matter what Paul Di’Anno is doing, he will always be remembered as the rough voiced vocalist of Iron Maiden between the years 1978 and 1981. Alcohol and drug problems made him leave the band, but he never gave up and continued with such bands like Gogmagog, Battlezone, Killers and some more. He didn’t really change his bad habits so that success was never really an option. He’s been touring now for about ten years with The Phantomz, covering old Iron Maiden classics. This band is made up of two former musicians of re-vision who released some really great albums at the turn of the millennium, but also musicians who are currently active in Perzonal War. Together they have founded a new band: Architects Of Chaoz. They don’t cover Iron Maiden, but their music shows strong parallels.

The opener Rejected, possibly a comment about Paul Di’Anno’s life so far, is truly traditional heavy metal that is taking no prisoners. The band is inspired by the sound of Eighties Maiden, with strong dual guitar leads that prove that Paul Di’Anno has assembled a more than able band. The difference to Dickinson era Maiden is of course the voice that sounds more punk and jaded. Even though most songs are played at a rather fast pace, the band is just as adept at mid-tempo material, like Switched Off and Apache Falls, the latter being the vocalist’s favourite track on the album. Other highlights are the epic Dead Eyes and Erase The World, an old school rock song. Three tracks are a little different or should I say less Maiden like. The unusually brutal Obsidian Black is quite successful. Less convincing is the bizarre Architects Of Chaoz that comes with voice distortion, reminding a little of a modern Alice Cooper. The ballad Soldier Of Fortune unfortunately forgets to build up suspense. Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear the bonus track Je Suis Charlie.

Some claim that Iron Maiden haven’t had such a classy album like The League Of Shadows since 1990. That may be true, but they wrote so many classics in the Eighties that it doesn’t really matter, as I could see for myself in the summer of 2014. Architects Of Chaoz will never be as famous as Iron Maiden, but they deserve more than just a little recognition. If you like classic heavy metal, this band is definitely for you!