Review: Greyhawk “Warriors of Greyhawk”
Release date: 13 February 2026
Label: Cruz Del Sur Music
7–11 minutes
Gage J. Tolin
Fusing classic US power metal, AOR and all things epic metal; GREYHAWK returns with their third album of triumphant battle hymns.
Refreshed, rejuvenated and ready for adventure; GREYHAWK are back with their third album of epic, melodic power/heavy metal fused with an anthemic AOR angle. Shredding guitars, soaring vocals, powerful rhythms and songs that will stick with you are all a part of this majestic opus.
From the very beginning you will be met with soaring guitars, pounding riffs and a classic heavy/power metal attack from the instrumentals. Grandiose and powerful vocals complete the mix, which is perfectly blended by Henrik Udd’s sublime production which is detailed and grandiose. Daniel Porta has provided artwork for this record and clearly the band have had a strong input on all aspects of the release to make sure the entire experience is gripping for you, the fans.
Not many bands blend the more traditional epic heavy/power metal glory with these AOR elements but GREYHAWK do so marvellously, giving the music not only power but memorability, showing that on their third album – this will definitely stand the test of time. The musicianship is continually improving on all counts, from the crushing drumming to the mind-blowing guitar work to the operatic and stunning vocals. Lovers of all things fantastical, adventurous and metallic will be enchanted, enthralled and bedazzled by this stratospheric effort.
“This album is a return to the epic metal roots that we had on our debut album ‘Keepers of the Flame’”, says founding member Darin Wall, “it also features some faster songs where we explore our love for power metal, as well as some of the 80s AOR vibes we had on the last album ‘Thunderheart’. Songs about inner strength, overcoming obstacles in life, and triumphing in victory are all present here. Creating an experience where the listener can find inspiration from the lyrics and energy of the songs, or detach from reality a bit and get lost in some of the epic fantastical themes is the goal. Ronnie James Dio is the bands biggest influence as far as lyrical themes go.”
Line-Up
Anthony Corso – Vocals
Jesse Berlin – Lead Guitar
Rob Steinway – Rhythm Guitar
Darin Wall – Bass
Nate Butler – Drums
Review
Greyhawk begin their third full-length album, and first with vocalist Anthony Corso, with “Ascension”, a song that wastes little time in making its mark. While longtime listeners might be a bit put off by the new singer, this quickly faded for me and I found myself enjoying Anthony’s set of pipes. The AOR influence comes through with gusto, at times sounding very akin to the vocal talents of Steve Perry of Journey or Brad Delp of Boston. It helps to give the album a pronounced melodic and anthemic sound to it that I think makes it stand out from their earlier work. On the instrumental side, I did find the production to be a bit cacophonous at times, but I still found the music largely enjoyable. The guitar solo in particular was a great taste of what was to come on the album.
Taking things into a more thrashy realm was “Land of Ashes”, which offered a blitzing pace and sound that I felt more similar to Holy Grail than previous Greyhawk releases. Drummer Nate Butler is killing it throughout the track, with some thundering beats on the kit. Again, I found Corso’s vocals to be more than solid, and they continued to grow on me. While a shorter track, at 3:26, it definitely makes the most of its minutes (as the saying goes), and though I still wasn’t quite sold on the production, everything else was clicking for me up to now.
“Take A Stand” offered a more chanty and simplistic style of track, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. As I’ve said in other reviews, I appreciate versatility and this shows just that. On top of that, something about this track made it feel like an old Greyhawk track (can’t quite explain why or how that is). While featuring a proper shredder of a guitar solo, the track kept things close to its chest and never strayed too far from the formula that this sort of track offers. It felt like a lead single, and while I do contend that it was a solid addition to the album, I can’t quite rate it higher than that just yet. Alas, future relistens may change my perception.
“Endless Race” returned us to that more thrashy (speedy?) realm, with an opening that ripped like crazy. The melodic guitar harmony coming in to accentuate it was a cherry on top. Speaking of melody, the way in which Corso delivers the chorus is simply dripping with magic and majesty. For some reason, I found the production to really work in the track’s favor for this one, though I retain that I think it’s a touch too clean. This wasn’t a long track, clocking in at just over 4 minutes, and it actually felt shorter than it really was, but I really think it worked. Good stuff here.
The first, of a few, more lengthy tracks was the title track “Warriors of Greyhawk”. I loved the slow build-up in the beginning for this one, interspersing old recordings of past Greyhawk tracks (really nice touch!). This one had a really great sense of epic washed over it, and the track itself felt like a sort of homage to Greyhawk’s work up to this point. I think this is a pretty strong way to signify that the band is entering a new era with Anthony Corso at the helm. By this point, I really felt like the production was starting to click with me, and the aforementioned Corso’s vocals were doing the same. At just a few ticks over six minutes, this was a bit on the longer side, but it never felt overly such.
“Words of Power” returned us toward the shorter side of tracks for the album, and for this one I was really enjoying Corso’s vocals. While I felt that the overall instrumentation was a touch simplistic for the majority of its runtime, the guitar solo was a brief showcase of wizardry. Someone that I think many will call an MVP of the album though is definitely drummer Nate Butler, who remains in top-form. However, though the vocals, solo, and drumming, were all great, the track overall run a bit hollow for me.
Next up was “Chosen”, which was a more mid-tempo track that served to dish up some extra variety on the album. At times verging on epic, the track featured Corso delivering vocals that I found highly reminiscent of previous Greyhawk singer Rev Taylor, but not in a derivative way. The addition of the band chanting the chorus behind the voice of Corso only helped to elevate the track up the ladder of grandeur. The riffs were simple, but they had a purpose and a weight behind them, something I find easy to appreciate. Pretty solid song here.
“Hyperspace”, a word which I never know whether to hyphenate or not, began as a fairly standard power metal romp, with a slick opening riff. Corso’s vocals here remind me heavily of someone, but I can’t quite my finger on who exactly it is. It’s not so much his performance as it is his delivery and cadence, it’s so familiar. Insane shred-fest of a guitar solo to really steal the show near the end, great stuff all-round.
“Embers Rise” opened with a riff that reminded me a lot of modern Judas Priest or Vicious Rumors (both underrated eras for both bands). The song itself however felt a tad bit underdeveloped or undercooked. On the whole, it was a solid track in all respects, but it definitely felt a touch too safe for me. However, it was one of the few tracks where I can hear the bass through the production and that makes me appreciate it for that.
Changing things up completely was “Rise Above”, the penultimate track, which began with a nice melodic instrumental section that delivered an almost reflective mood. Corso joined in with a deep delivery of the opening lines, only further ushering the song into higher territory. His control over his vocal chords is seriously impressive, the way he can effortlessly switch between the deep and high pitches. Throughout the track, especially by the midpoint, I began to wonder if it was building towards something. My thoughts and ponderings proved correct when the song came to a crescendo with a pretty nice closing sequence (wherein the guitar from the very beginning returned for a spell).
Finally we come to “Eternal Quest”, which opened with an even more melodic guitar part (this one felt much more 80s ballad inspired, like some Ratt or Krokus). The intro sequence lasted a bit over a minute of good buildup before Corso ushered in the song properly with crisp vocals. In terms of tempo, this one kept things more middle-speed for the majority of its runtime, to the point that I admit, it began to feel a touch long in the tooth. A brief, but sharp, guitar solo breaks things up a bit with a nice band-chant sequence that eventually became part of the background (cool touch!). Though overall, I do feel like the prior track was the stronger of the two 6 minute closers.
Conclusion
Greyhawk’s third album introduces fans and newcomers to the arrival of new vocalist Anthony Corso, who showcases his exemplary talents throughout. While the sound is a bit different when compared to their previous releases, it isn’t a massive jump, but rather a gradual one if you’ve followed them for some time. The AOR influence from previous album, “Thunderheart” is definitely refined and pushed more towards the front. However, I do feel that the production was a touch too clean and crisp, and at times just simply too much- though think that chalks more up to personal taste. Building on that, the album had a tendency to feel hot and then cold, rather than feeling like a consistent flow was there (though I could’ve just been in the wrong headspace for it).
TheNwothm Score: 7.5/10
Links
Bandcamp: https://greyhawkmetal.bandcamp.com/album/warriors-of-greyhawk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greyhawkheavymetal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greyhawkmetal
Label: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/
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