The worst offender is ballad “So, Thank You All,” which is a love letter to all of the fans that support this band and go to their shows. Unfortunately, The Flame Still Burns is consistently confusing and awkward to experience, in part thanks to some very odd songwriting choices. Yet, everything maintains a stable sonic backbone that coheres these songs as unmistakably constituent to this album. Folk melodies on “Wolfpack” and “Ireland’s Rebels” change the base flavor of the whole affair, big stadium stompers like “The Man” give rise to plenty of opportunities for fist-pumping, and faster cuts like “Lens of Life” and “Soldiers in White” provide much-appreciated injections of adrenaline. As an album, I appreciate the stylistic variety that was lacking on Apocalypse. “Escape” and “The Man” are playlist-worthy highway cruising tracks, replete with silly Super Mario samples and big bar-brawling grooves, respectively, that make me smile every time I hear them. I even like the vocal delivery in these songs, which is rough-hewn and nasal without being whiny or weak, and are very reminiscent of Dee Snider across the board. Big moments in “The Flame Still Burns,” “Always Alone,” and “The Legend of Rainbow Warriors” live in my head rent-free and I’m not particularly upset about that. Nonetheless, an unlikely charm sparkles to such an extent that Tarchon Fist’s clumsy verse comes across as somewhat endearing more often than not.ĭespite the fact that Tarchon Fist haven’t accomplished anything on The Flame Still Burns that their influences haven’t already perfected, this record is bizarrely memorable and even a joy to hear on occasion. Without that energy, this record would be in big trouble, as the lyrics are as painfully awkward to hear as ever before. As with previous efforts, every song here is brimming with enthusiasm and verve, which goes a long way driving their most memorable moments into the mind. At a nice and tight forty-five minutes, The Flame Still Burns marches on with predominantly mid-paced stomps. Supporting those extra hooks, a greater portion of Irish folk-inspired melodies offers a new element previously absent. This time, however, there are even MOAR hooks than before. The Flame Still Burns consists of the same tempered alloy that comprised Apocalypse, a combination of Manowar, Iron Maiden, and the stadium anthems of Twisted Sister. With great excitement, and perhaps a small scoop of trepidation, I enter the Tarchon arena. Nearly four years ago, Apocalypse provided a fun but deeply flawed heavy metal experience, despite the wonder that is “Proud t o be Dinosaurs.” Now it’s 2023 and these Italian steel addicts forge ahead with The Flame Still Burns, their fifth full-length, filled with new stories of war, wengeance, wictory, and, of course, 9/11-more on that later. It feels like ages since I last reviewed Tarchon Fist.

Perfected doom 3