Metal Underground.com

Those who love their metal in the Maiden mold are going to find plenty to enjoy on Black Moor's "The Conquering." The disc harkens back to the early-'80s days of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the birth of thrash.

The dual-guitar intro to "Beyond Hell" by Eric Hanlin and Nick Jones immediately sets the mood, with its early Iron Maiden feel, complete with Rob Nickerson's galloping in the background. Sure, Hanlin's vocals are more Paul Di'Anno than Bruce Dickinson, but that's part of the charm.

There's no doubt that the guitars are the star here, with superb solos and interludes on tracks like "Death To The False Emperor" and "The Conquering." "The Conquering," in particular, stands out, with a "Kill 'Em All"-era Metallica feel, complete with a more-than-passable young Hetfield-style vocal from Hanlin. Other standout tracks include "Red Blood, Cold Steel," with its speedy thrash interlude, and "Breath Of The Dying," which has an excellent slow-burn intro and a haunting fade at the end.

On the downside, other than the piano intro to "The Human Disease" and the brief bit of acoustic guitar on "Fiend," there are no surprises to be had here after the first few tracks. Add that to some sequencing issues ("The Blood Moor" and the similar-sounding "Red Blood, Cold Steel" being parked right next to each other, for instance), and things start sounding quite repetitive by the end of the album.

Is Black Moor's "The Conquering" a particularly inventive take on the classic metal genre? No, but the band certainly gets the sound and mood right — and that counts for a lot.