Album Review: Dungeon Crawl/Throne Of Iron | ‘The Side Quest’ (Split LP)
A heavy metal D&D nerdgasm
At your next Dungeons & Dragons gathering, let your adventurous gameplay be scored by the new split LP from metal bands Dungeon Crawl and Throne Of Iron titled The Side Quest!
The seven-track saga’s dramatic mood is set appropriately with a retro-sounding synth intro, “Minions of a Dark Master” by Dungeon Crawl, who stand watch on the first four tracks. This three-piece hails from the Bay area of California and are flag carriers for the style of thrash that put their realm on the map, notably via heavyweights like Exodus, Testament, and Death Angel.
Dungeon Crawl attacks with speed and vigor, brandishing tremolo guitar riffs and serpentine vocals. “Critical Failure” is especially ballistic; its drum beats and riffs rage on hyper levels. A victory gallop of a guitar lead spans the final portion, “slowing” things down.
Throne Of Iron — a quartet from Indiana featuring Arzab of the Howling Abyss on bass — grab the reins on track five with “Gods of Liquid Gold.” They truly take it back to old times via their classical delivery of power metal. However, these warlords can’t help but incorporate modern grooves and ruggedness into their pristine traditional ways.
