Distant Past - The Final Stage Review

There are some very interesting details about Distant Past and “The Final Stage” directly or indirectly speaking. The first is about genre and it’s indirectly related to the band and the album. I absolutely cannot understand the dynamics recording companies have for releasing albums. I mean, and that’s not a coincidence because coincidence simply doesn’t exist, I received zillion of releases for this very day of March 26th and many of them were Heavy Metal in all its variances of color and shape. The second is I totally and truely understand that the great band names are already taken and bands have to freely use their imagination to name a band, That’s why some names feel so far from the real intent – I guess. Never bother, guys. It’s just a thought.

Distant Past deliver with “The Final Stage” a consistent piece of the 1980s Heavy Metal with the plus of an enthusiasmatic and energetic performance. There is some kind of youth energy in all Heavy Metal efforts that I can’t explain where it comes from. “The Final Stage” is full of this energy and that’s exactly what makes it so interesting. The enthusiasm helps a lot as well. When I listen to a song as “Dawn City” the urge of headbaging gets impossible to refrain. I have to bang my head and think how wonderful Metal music is. There aren’t uptempo tracks here and the band does an enormeous effort to vary the themes and cadence. The good drumming helps a lot too. A highlight to the guitar work as they vary a lot the techniques and moodings in the songs having the precise timing to give them a solo. It’s amazing that both guitars most of time vary, and combine, the rhythm using each one different structures to avoid performing the same thing. It’s also a trend among this new wave of heavy metal bands to use paintings as cover art as it used to be done by bands back then. The art here explores a general idea of the 1980s that a nuclear war and the extermination of humankind was imminent. Hum, general idea of the 1980s? From where I’m standing not only from the 1980s.

I don’t think “The Final Stage” will please only heavy metallers. I guess all metallers with an open mind and who like enthusiastic songs may enjoy it. Some may say it’s more of the same, but truely, that doesn’t matter at all. Good album and good band.

Distant Past “The Final Stage” will be released on March 26th via Pure Steel Records.

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