THE SCEPTER – Shadows In The Tower

vote
6.5

• Bands:
  THE SCEPTER
• Duration: 00:29:14
• Available from: 07/24/2026
• Label:

• No Remorse Records

The Scepter are that classic example of a group that sets the bar straight by doing what they like to do: the Canadian quintet makes their debut with “Shadows In The Tower”, after forming in 2018 in the name of bands such as Blind Guardian and Riot.
Already from the cover you can understand what you will find on the album: old school heavy/power, especially influenced by “Battalions Of Fear” and “Walls Of Jericho”, with none other than JP Abboud on vocals, already known for his militancy in Traveler. It's never too late to make a record with these sounds, straight to the point with “Riding Out” and its very tight rhythms that certainly recall both American and German speed/power.

The band plays particularly well in the breaks that characterize the songs before the solos, handled by the guitar duo Josh Collins/Morgan Walsh, while the most interesting episodes seem to come directly from Liege Lord, such as the excellent “Protector Of The Skies”, and echoes of epic metal appear instead in “Drink On” and “Burn Bundy Burn”.
One problem, however, is that, no matter how good, the songs never dare, settling on absolutely classic coordinates that take the band a little behind compared to the formations that inspire them: they rarely leave the classic four-quarter track to try to amaze the listener with something different, and this can tire in the long run, unless you are a die-hard fan of this genre.
However, Stew Everitt's pounding bass work and John Crawford's drums are appreciated, especially in the most tense moments, while a special mention goes to “Dunes”, which has an absolutely unmistakable intro, made to pay tribute to one of the most famous power metal groups that Germany has ever given us.
The final track, which also gives its name to the album, returns to the coordinates of a more classic heavy and easily attributable to the so-called New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal, closing a circle that began with the first song.

The other real problem with “Shadows In The Tower”, in addition to the lack of incisiveness, is its duration: just half an hour of music, very little even without being refined gourmets of the genre. If your jacket, however, is literally made of patches and you frequent classic heavy gatherings, The Scepter could prove to be a pleasant surprise, minus perhaps a bit of repetitiveness that is inevitable in this genre; this however, unlike elsewhere, places them very far from other names on the excellent No Remorse roster.