VALIDOR: Full Triumphed (2 February 2022, Symmetric Records)

VALIDOR continue their epic journey with the release of their fourth full-length album, “Full Triumphed” in February 2, 2022, by Symmetric Records. The band is led and founded by Odi “Thunderer” Toutounis who has released 3 more records under the name of VALIDOR, “In Blood In Battle”, “Dawn of the Avenger” and “Hail To Fire”. With new 9 epic tracks, VALIDOR narrates stories of war, ancient Greek armies, gladiators, gods, demons and ‘80s culture legends like the “Silverhawks” and Robocop in the song “Man of Steel”.

The “Full Triumphed” is the musical equivalent of a battlefield. Steel, fire and blood reign in the music of VALIDOR and that’s why they chose to custom made a metal genre called “Blood Metal”. Because the epic/heavy and the power metal genres are not enough to describe and support the raw and powerful sound of this band.  

VALIDOR’s music is a soundtrack for battle, is music for warlords. If Robert E. Howard and Frank Frazzetta were alive they would definitely be huge fans of VALIDOR and their musical interpretation of the sword and sorcery approach. High fantasy is fun and great, but sometimes the brute, raw power of the heroic fantasy, is all you need to get the blood flowing in you and rushing out of your enemies. The “Full Triumph” offers exactly that kind of feeling, those stories dressed in heavy music, enriching their colors and creating even more vivid images.

Musically, the fourth work of VALIDOR is an unstoppable force of huge, epic riffs. Aggressive, raw and rough, with heavy guitars, a solid low end that works as foundation holding the weight and with powerful drum work that reminds of a marching army, the “Full Triumphed” is everything a heavy/epic album or more properly a blood metal must sound like. There are, also, some speed and thrash elements and passages to raise the tempo and add some more aggression as if there wasn’t already enough. The track “Blood Metal Legions” is the most Manowar-like song ever written that wasn’t done by Manowar and in the track “Silverhawks” the Blind Guardian influences are quite obvious and work absolutely great with the overall aesthetic of the record.

The album has, also, an unbelievable production. Before I add anything, I understand that this can be quite subjective but in regard with the genre that the band represents, I believe that the production work is great. Huge, overdriven and crunchy, the production presents a true picture of the underground scene that VALIDOR represent. The bass and low end are massive and the guitars overdriven enough to sound rough but not to the point of destroying the experience with their wild transients.

Having nothing more to add, I will summarize the already stated. The “Full Triumphed” is a killer heavy (blood) metal album that you must listen. And just a reminder so you don’t forget-you wouldn’t want, the album will be unleashed in February 2.

1. Dawn Of New Age

2. Son Of Fire

3. Man Of Steel

4. Strong Winds

5. Blood Metal Legions

6. Silverhawks

7. Gladiator

8. The Ten Thousand 03:09 video

9. Conquest Of Steel

https://www.facebook.com/validor.gr/

https://validor.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/symmetricrecords/

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