Winters Bane - Heart Of A Killer (Century Media) 1993

Oh my! How in the world did I not hear this CD until now. Winters Bane simply rule! This is how heavy metal should song. Fierce, biting guitar riffs, killer vox, guitar solos abound. This CD has it all. Imagine a Judas Priest on steroids, or a less dark Mercyful Fate and you might get an idea here. "Heart of a Killer" is concept album that tells the story of a judge named Cohegan receiving a heart transplant from a killer that he had sentenced to die. However, the story is no where near as interesting as interesting as the music itself. Tim Owens absolutely annihilates on this CD. Together with a tight metal unit, this band delivers one jaw dropping album.

This particular double disc copy of "Heart of A Killer" is the 2000 Century Media Records re-issue. It is completely repackaged and contains the bonus disc of live and demo material.

Winters Bane - Girth (Independent) 1997

1. "C-4" (2:48)
2. "Kill Procedure" (3:26)
3. "Away" (5:19)
4. "Color" (3:17)
5. "X-iled" (4:33)
6. "Alexandria" (4:04)
7. "Porcelain God" (4:10)
8. "Hunting Time" (3:02)
9. "Download" (3:41)
10. "Spells Death" (4:48)
11. "Dark Paradise" (3:22)

"Girth" was Winters Bane's first album after losing the ultra-talented Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals. Guitarist Lou St. Paul takes over the vocal duties. His voice isn't bad, but of course he had some big shoes to fill. I had high hopes for this album after enjoying "Heart of a Killer" so much. Unfortunately this album just doesn't do it for me quite like the debut. The albums starts off strong with "C-4" but doesn't hold my attention well from there on out. "Girth" is peppered with some excellent guitar riffs and strong solos, but the overall album falls short of the greatness of their debut.

Winters Bane - Redivivus (DCA Recordings) 2006

1. "Seal the Light" (4:51)
2. "Spark to Flame" (5:27)
3. "The World" (4:17)
4. "Dead Faith" (4:22)
5. "Catching the Sun" (4:49)
6. "Remember to Forget" (4:15)
7. "Burning Bridges" (4:30)
8. "Waves of Fury" (4:37)
9. "Despise the Lie" (3:30)

Winters Bane are fairly well know thanks to ex-vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens, who has gone on to work with Judas Priest, Iced Earth as well as his own band Beyond Fear. Unfortunately most people only know Winters Bane for that one album Tim recorded with the band. (Flotsam & Jetsam are another band that have gone through life being unfairly called "so-and-so's former band"). After Owen's departure the band released one CD with guitarist Lou St. Paul behind the mic before sinking into a long period of silence. After many years of searching for a singer with the vocal prowess to equal the talents Owens, Alexander Koch (ex-Powergod) was recruited and "Redivivus" was recorded. With the addition of powerhouse drummer Mark Cross (Firewind, Metalium, Helloween), the band has recorded a solid, no frills, riff driven, balls-to-the-wall heavy metal album. The album starts off with the energetic "Seal the Light" before breaking into another metal feast titled "Spark the Flame." Both songs are peppered with flashy and energetic guitar solos and are not only heavier than I expected, but are also very memorable. The same can be said for the entire CD really. Fans of the first album or bands like Steel Prophet should find this CD to be quite good. There are no keyboards, orchestration, dungeons & drangons or power ballads. This is real American heavy metal.

Related Collections:
Judas Priest | Fires of Babylon

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