Review: “Whispers of Lore” by Receiver

Armed with a collection of songs that pay homage to their heroes in Iron Maiden, Dio and Savantage, while expressing a mutual love of Sega classic “Golden Axe”, Cypriot Traditional Heavy Metal act Receiver set sail from Nicosia on their a music voyage of battle and lore. Cloaked in a shroud of fantasy and allegory, those tales address the ills of humanity within their lyrics, from social injustice, imperialism and the vein, nefarious degradation of the human condition that is war, a seemingly gargantuan undertaking. Seeking assistance in their quest, they entered Entasis Studios in Athens Greece, where they recorded their debut album with Nick Papakostas (Advisor, Wind Eternal, Black Rite). He later mixed and mastered their sonic creations and together they are titled “Whispers of Lore“…

It doesn’t take long for opening cut “Unite” to confirm why a six year long gestational period for “Whispers of Lore” was time well spent; put simply they’ve created an album of timeless quality that could have been released at any point over the past four decades and not seemed out of place. Papakostas has done a fantastic job in the studio with Receiver, giving the band a classic Old School Traditional Heavy Metal sound that truly does match the vision of paying homage to their influences, so much so that you could place this album between any of their works and it would fit perfectly. There is an instant appeal to it to because it’s one of those records that feels like you’ve heard it before even if that is an impossibility and there are plenty of occasions where on the first listen you’ll find yourself singing along or playing air guitar. “Starchaser” is a fine example of one of those songs that had it existed at the time, would have fitted perfectly into the soundtrack of Jack Black’s “School Of Rock“, the riffs and solos from axe wielding duo Andreas Kyriacou and Charalambos Vassiliou steeped in rich heritage. Everything is perfectly weighted, nothing too flamboyant or understated which means that there is no cringe worthily cheese factor, something that rears its ugly head when bands effectively create a caricature. Instead Receiver are fully immersed the traditions of the genre and wear their hearts on their collective sleeves. “Trespasser” has a tasteful spoken word moment from vocalist Nikoletta Kyprianou that has a little American accenting to it but otherwise there is nothing here to suggest, vocally at least, where the band hail from. What’s fantastic about the vocals is that they don’t take over and drown out what the rest of the band are doing, Kyprianou’s voice instead sitting somewhere between that of Doro Pesch of Warlock fame and that of Jennie Skulander of Devilskin. That means that everything has a far more rounded and wholesome sound with every musician given the chance to shine.

The mid album instrumental interlude “Wilderness” is a cover of a composition from Sega’s Golden Axe video game, an arcade classic from 1989, the chip tune faithfully re-created with guitar work mimicking it perfectly. In the middle of the album it offers a wonderful warmth before ushering in the gang-chant laden “Raiders Of The Night” which perhaps hints at some Power Metal influence. “Arrow” continues down that line, offering hints of Folk Metal to accompany a Sea Shanty like tale which feels like it needs to be performed in a Pub at the edge of the earth where sailors gather for a poison chalice or two. This one feels epic while being classically understated, the kind of thing that you can imagine a band like Alestorm might cover while injecting their own energetic dynamic. Curiously enough, while “Whispers of Lore” is a fantastic title for the album, the song itself doesn’t stand out as a title track, instead being something of a mid album plodding affair that while nice enough actually feels a little bit plain in comparison with some of the succulent and delicious fruits on offer here. Equally, why “Prowess and Decay” has been described as a bonus track is something of a mystery because it is perfectly in keeping with the record as a whole, fitting like a glove. A funky little number with a really nice groove to it in the centre, this final moment is one to savour with a tasteful solo finding the band in their element. If you’re in search of an uplifting Traditional Heavy Metal record in an hour of need, you can’t go wrong with this one [7.5/10]

1. Unite
2. Starchaser
3. Trespasser
4. Falling to Dust
5. Wilderness
6. Raiders of the Night
7. Arrow
8. Whispers of Lore
9. Prowess and Decay

“Whispers of Lore” by Receiver is out 10th November 2023 via Gates Of Hell Records. Physical pre-orders available here and digital ones here