Manliest Band Ever

“Flying high, up throughout the sky. Target in sight. Through the firefight.”

If that isn’t the coolest set of lyrics to open up an album, you’re a communist.

Meet Skull Hammer, a thrash metal band with a traditional heavy metal sound from Massachusetts that is making quite a fuss in the underground metal scene. Their debut, “Pay it in Blood,” is the sonic equivalent of a “Rambo” marathon, followed by the first two Terminators and “Die Hard.”

The album is filled with Maiden-esque riffs, songs of war, epic battles, plenty of solos and solid, explosive drumming. Dan “Hammer” Kowal is a destructive force behind the kit pounding away like a young Nicko McBrain with the timing of a god. Steve “Ace” Mcurdle’s guitar work is impressive, lashing out riffs like Adrian Smith and Kai Hansen as well as yelling like Paul Arnold from “At War” or the late Peter Steele from his “Carnivore” days. Glenn Reed’s bass playing is also killer, as he plays Geezer Butler fills with Steve Harris’s speed. All in all, this is a very tight band with strong Heavy Metal influences such as Iron Maiden, Gravedigger, Accept, Helloween, and Manowar.

Some of the songs that pop out are the intro “Soldier of Misfortune,” “I Defy,” “Nuclear Holocaust,” the title track and “Blasphemy,” with an explosive sound that when blasted over speakers, will put the fear of god into your neighbors. Make no mistake, this is metal on steroids. Like Old Spice with a goatee.

One minor problem is that some of the song titles are a bit silly such as “Balls to the Bone”, “Hit by God” and “Convicted of Conviction”. It isn’t necessarrily a bad thing as these songs sound like they would get a great crowd reaction and the music really overshadows the goofy song titles.

In the end, the lyrics are as ballsy as ever. This music makes you want to beat your chest and sing along to the catchy choruses.

The album makes you want to hit the gym or the next person you see in the face while drinking a beer while driving a motorcycle while getting a tattoo. It is the manliest album ever recorded. No man should be without it. Skull Hammer is an unstoppable force that will decimate everything in its path. You should pay for it in cash or else you may just pay it in blood.