Meliah Rage new album.

[Wyvern]

MELIAH RAGE have recently signed with Metal On Metal Records and have finished the work on their new album.

Commented guitarist and band’s founder Anthony Nichols: “MELIAH RAGE is pleased to announce our recent signing with Italy’s own Metal On Metal Records. We look forward to working with Jowita and Simone, who have already proven to be not only die-hard metal fans themselves, but true professionals. Our new record “Dead To The World” is set to hit the streets this summer, and features the return of Paul Souza to the fold on vocals.”

The 7th full-length studio album (or 8th if you count also “Unfinished Business” CD) of these US power/thrash metal veterans “Dead To The World” will be available since July 28th.

For now you can listen to 2 songs from “Dead To The World” album: “Where Nothing Ever Grows” and “Up In Flames” from the player on Metal On Metal Records website (www.metal-on-metal.com) and to the 3rd song “Never From Me” from the band’s MySpace page (www.myspace.com/meliahrage).

Here’s the complete track list (please note it has changed since the news in February):

1. Up In Flames
2. Valley Of The Shadowless Souls
3. Skin And Bones
4. Absolute Obedience
5. Where Nothing Ever Grows
6. Never From Me
7. Cold Cruel Fate
8. Time Won’t Let Me Breathe
9. Awaken Sorrow

The album’s album artwork was created by Jowita Kaminska (www.jowita-kaminska.com), known from her work on EXODUS “Tempo Of The Damned”, WITCHBURNER “Final Detonation”, “Blood Of Witches” and “Demons”, MANILLA ROAD “Gates Of Fire”, ATTACKER “The Unknown”, FORSAKEN “Dominaeon” and “After The Fall”, DANTESCO “De La Mano De La Muerte” and “Pagano”, METAL INQUISITOR “Doomsday For The Heretic”, PARAGON “Screenslaves”, DECEASED “As The Weird Travel On” and many other cover arts.

'Where Nothing Ever Grows' is average, some good parts very much them and some parts generic and boring. More or less in the vein of the latter material.

'Up In Flames' starts very fast, much thrashier than the one above. The vocals sound kind of weird maybe low on the mix, there's a change in pace (a couple of times) that even reminds me of a prog approach, not bad but not what I want from this band. The guitar solo is really energetic, strong point.

'Never From Me' (damn, the MySpace player is really crappy ) starts like a ballad with a vocal duet (at least it seems to me) and then picks up the pace a bit, but not really thrash, nor power, and pretty average at the end of things.

From the first listening I'll say the band hadn't recovered the spirit of their classic albums or even "Barely Human". I have all their previous material, so I'm maybe gonna get this one too, or not (gonna await for a full leak to decide).