The Last Alliance | Out Of the Ashes

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by Joe Mis
Staff Writer

From the hotbed of power metal otherwise known as Queens, New York comes The Last Alliance – four young and talented musicians that may make this opening sentence a truism in the near future. Delivering old-school power metal in the tradition of Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, The Last Alliance proves that the American power metal scene is not dead.

With roots dating back to 2002, The Last Alliance has been through a number of personnel changes and obvious growing pains, but now the quartet has stabilized and quite surprisingly sounds like a true veteran act. Their music is tight and precise, and delivered with fire, enthusiasm and teamwork. John Ryan fronts the band, and is the last of the founding members. He sings with a deep, Blaze Bayley-esqe tone, but with a richer tone and wider range. He also plays a solid rhythm guitar and is capable of all of the tried and true power metal / thrash metal tricks. Bassist Ryan Berg (an apparent myspace find) lays down very powerful bass lines, working hand in hand with the manic-but-always-controlled drums of Joe Murawski (an apparent lucky find in a Long Island McDonald’s). Chris Montalbo slings a very capable lead guitar, laying down some hot riffs while always willing to share the spotlight with the other members of the band. 2011 brings at long last their debut, Out Of the Ashes.

From the first notes of “Fear ‘N Bullets” there is no doubt that this is pure metal. Big drums, booming bass, thick guitars and intense vocals fill the track and deliver the goods. Intense guitar harmonies and interesting riff tempo changes, along with a great gurgling bass, pay tribute to Thor and other members of Norse mythology in “Keeper of Asgard.” A clever ear will detect a bit of very old-school Metallica / Megadeth influences in this track, slightly modernized. John Milton’s Paradise Lost was the inspiration for the epic “Heaven’s War.” Big bass and complex drum lines provide the framework for some great Testament-style vocals and intricate guitar work – both lead and rhythm. “King Of Thieves” has a longish instrumental intro, and while demonstrating the technical prowess of the band it does make the track seem a bit plodding and overdone. Once the song itself gets rolling the band blends in a bit of progressive metal keys and tempo changes, and a touch of death style vocals. “March Of Darkness” is a fine piece of medieval metal with everything from clanging swords and gang vocals to acoustic passages and super heavy riffs, while “The Grey One” touches on some magical themes and features some of the best guitar passage on the album.

The title track is a metal masterpiece. “Out of The Ashes” is filled with great old school riffs, galloping bass and insane drumming wrapped into a Helloween inspired (and well performed) vocal line. The bottom end bass and drums drive the darker “Necropolis” into a Megadeth inspired mood. The band rolls a number of creepy lyrics into a powerful musical nightmare and delivers them well. “The Dawn” does a complete one-eighty and displays the band’s acoustic talents for an extended period. The quieter track allows the guys to do some great backing vocals and harmonies before cranking in the electrics. A moody progressive style intro brings a great feel to the varied-tempo “The Sorcerer’s Vision.” “The Name of Vengeance” wraps the CD in epic fashion, allowing the band to really cut loose and deliver a high energy closing track.

Out Of the Ashes is very well mixed and engineered, especially considering it is essentially self-produced. It was recorded by Ryan and Berg, and mixed by Berg, but they did not favor their own performances over those of their band mates. This shows a lot of maturity and dedication to the band’s vision – again, teamwork. All the tracks are long (only one is less than 5 minutes in length), well structured and delivered with just the right amount of attitude. The album on the whole is very well polished for an indie debut release.

Any fan of old school power metal will enjoy this release. The music is a modern interpretation of some classic acts and influences, and despite being a new release it brings back memories of the greats without being imitative. The boys of The Last Alliance have are indeed ready to rise Out Of The Ashes of obscurity and with the right breaks and a little more seasoning become a force ready to take on the giants of the European power metal scene.

Genre: Power Metal

Band:
John Ryan (vocals/rhythm guitar / keyboards)
Chris Montalbo (lead guitar)
Ryan Berg (bass / keyboards on track 10)
Joe Murawski (drums)

Track Listing:
1. Fear ‘N Bullets
2. Keeper of Asgard
3. Heaven’s War
4. King of Thieves
5. March of Darkness
6. The Grey One
7. Out of the Ashes
8. Necropolis
9. The Dawn
10. The Sorcerer’s Vision
11. The Name of Vengeance

Label: Indie / Unsigned

Website: http://www.myspace.com/thelastalliance

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10