Review: “The Vengeance Trilogy” EP by Messiah

‘”The Vengeance Trilogy” is a trio of songs and the story of a boy whose family and village have been massacred by monsters. This boy grows up to become a ferocious Knight who leads his army to attack the Kingdom of monsters and kill them all. The thing is, it is him, now, who has become a monster for the children of that Kingdom.‘ The EP is the follow up to “Violence in my Blood” while Messiah is Masterminded by Jayesh Raikar who handles the lyrics of both releases. Each one features a myriad of guests and this one sees him joined by Luis Galvez (Music Composition, Bass, Drums, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboard, Flute, Pipes, Hurdy Gurdy), Billy LeCoq-Mauvais (Lead Guitar, Engineering, Mixing, Mastering) and Bob Campbell (Vocals, Vocal Melody) while Ben Owen (Mandolin, Fiddle) makes a guest appearance on “I Vow to Return”. 

If you have any preconceptions about the quality of the recording by Messiah (or Project Messiah as they’re sometimes known) then lets start by putting that to bed. The sound quality is impressive and while they’re only streaming via SoundCloud at this moment, their material really should be available to purchase over at bandcamp. Opening cut “The River Runs Red” is sonically a modernized take on the work of bands like The Raven Age with hints at “City Of Evil” era Avenged Sevenfold in places. Campbell harnesses the storytelling of Raikar’s lyrics perfectly and while there is the odd strained moment as he pushes his range outside of his comfort zone, it’s not an issue overall. Guitars wise, Galvez is a multi instrumentalist with some serious skills and the solo from Billy LeCoq-Mauvais on this one is really something to behold. The second track, “I Vow to Return” has the swashbuckling sounds of Alestorm in the mix with none of the comedy and some Power Metal influences in the lyrics that aren’t reflected in the music. Again the storytelling aspect is masterful with the lyrics well worked into Campbell’s vocal style and if the first solo was good, the second is epic. Time and effort has gone into creating the atmosphere of the crusades and the addition of the Keyboard, Flute, Pipes, Hurdy Gurdy, Mandolin and Fiddle help create a Folk Metal vibe that is second to none. Each instrument is clearly heard in the mix while never overpowering the overall sound. “Kill the King” is a more driven affair that runs us to the sound of the opening track with some classic Synyster Gates esq riffs in the rhythm parts and a sing-a-long vocal hook. If Iron Maiden started their career over again now, then this is what they’d sound like [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. The River Runs Red
2. I Vow to Return
3. Kill the King

“Vengeance” by Messiah is available over at SoundCloud