From plowshares back to swords we cross the point of no return… — Gathered under an old banner in defense of their kingdom kinfolk soon become killers, invaders, and righteous trespassers when gathered in their march for revenge. The exact point where their valiant protectorate becomes a murderous band of conquerors is a matter of where one draws the line between defense and inhuman obliteration, evidence would suggest such line is illusory and that human nature has been well proven as thanatotic, driven by a certain Death’s urge which’ll just as quickly turn to self-destruction once the threat of “them” has been eliminated. Nicosia, Cyprus-based epic heavy metal quintet Receiver take us on an strident journey from the inspiration of the polis to the fields of battle beyond on this impressive debut full-length album yet ‘Whispers of Lore‘ does not deign crack open its tome of tales without inserting allegorical mirroring for these timeless illnesses of mankind. The conqueror nature and its connection to the inevitable injustices societies suffer when built upon foundations of genocide and cultural decimation are at least one part of the backdrop here but not the entire scene. A vibrant and commanding charger of a heavy metal album to start, the full ride through this debut eventually rounds out into an ideal showing in tone and tribute of the old ways, an entirely appropriate medium for their timeless considerations.

Receiver formed circa 2011 with a pretty straight forward goal, create “pure, heavy and epic metal” while incorporating folk music inspiration from around the world yet it wasn’t the right time for the folks involved and they’d put the idea on hold until 2017 when a different lineup began putting together what would become ‘Whispers of Lore‘. You might think a shorter introductory release or some sort of single might’ve tested the waters in the six years it took to realize ‘Whispers of Lore‘ but in my experience none of that’d been necessary once the spirited charge of opener/single “Unite” hit, a piece which will undoubtedly prove too infectious to scrub past without joining in if you’ve any love for NWOBHM inspired traditional heavy metal. Galloping bass lines, sharpened Maiden-esque guitar arrangements and a certain 80’s power/epic heavy worthy sense of melodic development all certainly feel like they’d been jammed together, felt through, and written for effect with some sense of purpose as they’d struck. Expect an exceptionally tuneful yet determined mid-to-fast paced roll through the first ~3-4 pieces as we reach for “Trespasser” and push through Side A, they’ve much more to show but in creating a first impression this album presses on through its initial salvo one big song after another.

Their style is as patiently articulate as early Omen in terms of the main guitar thread to start, building ~5-6 minute heavy metal songs with ornate skeletal features which are deceptively simple thanks to a sense of immediacy per inspired vocal melodies as their main form of communication. Belting out and harmonizing multiple layers for effect vocalist Nikoletta Kyprianou brings a unique strength and the wizened tone of a storyteller to each line, lending a confidence which she instills ‘Whispers of Lore‘ with from the outset. There are big choruses and inspiring verses on each of the first four songs on the full listen but I’d point to the mid-album sort of Warlord (or, Manowar even) lean on “Falling to Dust” and especially the epic ever-charging push of “Raiders of the Night”, one of the shorter more direct pieces on the album. I think rolling through those first six songs would’ve been too much if they’d not broken it up with “Wilderness”, a cover of the theme (by way of You Takada) from the first stage of Golden Axe, a core memory from my own childhood and a bit of extra personality from the band as their sound and approach began to show its range in the second half.

Side B leans into variety beyond their NWOBHM and 80’s power metal fed spiritus where we begin to hear some easier to identify folken edges on “Arrow” and the slower sort of Slough Feg-esque saunter of title track “Whispers of Lore” to end the spin. I would have liked to have heard more of this side of the band as it’d reminded me most of the later Pagan Altar records to some small degree. If you end up getting the compact disc version “Prowess and Decay” shows a bit more 70’s metal personality, another testament to all that these folks carry with them in terms of range and no doubt I walked away from this record wanting a bit more of each facet of their personality. I’m not sure this means I need an 80 minute double LP from Receiver just yet but at the very least they’ve prompted the need for another book to add to this series, the potential is there and this level of fidelity is just right for their form of classics-minded heavy metal. An above average debut and one of the more notable heavy metal records from the second half of the year. A high recommendation.

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