AN NCS PREMIERE: CHAMBER MAGE — “BLADES ON THE RAMPART”

(written by Islander)

WARNING! THERE WILL BE CLEAN SINGING!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, for those of you who’ve forgotten that the name of our site has never been a hard-and-fast rule, let’s also add what else there will be: Glorious riffs galore, pulse-pounding gallops, blazing solo work, and mystical melodies.

We’re talking about “Blades On The Rampart“, the heart-jumping song we’re premiering from the debut album of Colorado-based Chamber Mage in advance of its March 28 release by Nameless Grave Records. The name of the album is By Light of Emerald Gods, and it’s a good name because it points the way to heavy metal that’s lit by magical and mythic colors, the stuff of swords and sorcery.

Photography: Steph Nelson

For those who might be encountering Chamber Mage for the first time, they’ve drawn their inspirations from the early European power metal scene, the NWOBHM, and blade-wielding U.S. Power metal.

With a well-received 2022 demo as their launching pad, they’ve had an active time on various stages, including festivals like Legions Of Metal, Frozen In Time, and Stormbringer, and an upcoming appearance scheduled with Saxon, Abbath, and a big lineup of other bands at Hell’s Heroes in Houston.

This debut album, By Light of Emerald Gods, is a mighty and mighty ambitious record. As the label represents, it’s “a fifty-minute record boasting a charged offensive fueled by galloping riffs and soaring melodies through eight anthems that thunder with tales of battle and magic, tragedy and triumph.”

Maybe the reason we were asked if we would premiere the song you’re about to hear (this is pure speculation) is as a test of its appeal to people whose tastes don’t normally incline to the kind of genre ingredients that inspire Chamber Mage. They don’t really need to test its appeal to people who relish classic clean-sung heavy metal and power metal — those people will reflexively revel in what Chamber Mage have done. Not for naught does Nameless Grave recommend the album for fans of Visigoth, Jag Panzer, Nocturnal Rites, Armored Saint, and Manilla Road.

And, well, you can see how this writer reacted to the test. It probably helps that I’ve been a fan of fantasy writing and films since I was wet behind the ears, including tales of mages and demons, of dragons and castles under siege. Chamber Mage vividly bring all those good memories to life, even for someone whose tastes usually incline to more violent, ghastly, and vocally ear-shredding styles of music. Theirs is escapist music, and our current times are so terrible that we need escapes, maybe now more then ever, to help re-charge sanity and the strength to persevere.

As demonstrated on the well-named “Blades On The Rampart“, Avery Berg‘s singing is a vital feature to the kind of electrifying musical fantasies Chamber Mage create. He exhibits impressive range, in both octaves and emotion, and with a grittiness in his voice that puts an edge on the anthems.

And no doubt, the song is an anthem, a battle anthem. Though its opening bars are sinister and arcane, the music quickly catches fire with fast-flying, nimble-fingered riffs and hurtling beats, laced with wildly screaming leads, Berg‘s high-flying voice, and fierce gang yells and rising choral voices.

The riffing channels a charge, and its feverish energy charges up the adrenaline. The riffs are also big hooks, as are the vocal melodies. But the band also provide an interlude, a chance for listeners to catch their breath and to become immersed in a different kind of mood. The racing stops, and the music begins to sound like the mysterious and melancholy strains of a violin, like a last moment of somber peace before the blades must come out as the conflict resumes — and resume it does, with the music flying higher, augmented by gloriously delirious guitar soloing that seizes and holds attention throughout.

Enough with our words, here’s the comment of Chamber Mage about the song:

“This is one of the first songs we completed as a band which really helped us define what makes a CHAMBER MAGE song, and has been a live staple since we started gigging. It’s a good example of how the guitars are stylistically different and in different voicings, but the performances are tight and the riffs gel together to help form our sound. We also hit the ever-effective step-up key change at the end of the song to bump the energy up!”

CHAMBER MAGE is:
Avery Berg – Vocals
Dan Nevin – Drums
Devan Fechner – Guitar
Jaden Knowles – Guitar
Ted Jedlicki – Bass

By The Light Of Emerald Gods was recorded and mixed by Ivan Alcala at Cadaver Audio, mastered by Andrew Lee (Ripped To Shreds), and completed with cover art by William Nevin. The closing track features guest cello by Angela Jensen, while guests JP Abboud, Taylor Webb, Charles Wahler, Matt Harrigan, Noelle Bovee, and Justin Venman join the members of Chamber Mage as The Emerald Choir throughout the album.

By The Light Of Emerald Gods will be released on CD and LP, as well as digitally, and it’s available for pre-order now. Below, we’re also sharing a stream of the album’s first single, “The Emerald Tower Revealed“.

PRE-ORDER:
https://chambermage.bandcamp.com/album/by-light-of-emerald-gods
https://namelessgraverecords.com/

CHAMBER MAGE:
https://linktr.ee/chambermage
https://chambermage.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/chambermage
https://www.facebook.com/chambermage