
As for the band, they perform an old school US power/speed metal that recalls bands like Omen, Savage Grace, or Lizzy Borden, but with a modern tone and little propensity to fly off the handle (McMaster has that covered). The riffing is constrained and fits the retrogression of the band, but there are some really bad tracks on the album that soil even its stronger moments. Where "Evil Calling" and title track "The Spider Queen" might adequately rock out the nostalgia for melodic 80s power and horrible cover art, you have a track like "I Never Knew", with its lamenting guitars and really bad vocals over the verse. The vocals just feel detached on a number of the tracks, absurd despite the McMaster's capabilities.
The album has a moderate mix with flowing, melodic guitars and crashing drums, but I often don't feel they support McMaster's insanity, as he weaves through snarls, wavering lower range lines, and a Fleming Ronsdorf (ex-Artillery) shriek. It's not quite the ironic metal mockery of, say, Three Inches of Blood, but it did not feel focused to my ears.
Highlights: Evil Calling, The Spider Queen, Rune of Power
Verdict: Indifference [6/10]
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