BLAZING RUST – Line of Danger

Traditional Metal from St. Petersburg

Blazing Rust, the Traditional Heavy Metal band releases their 2nd full length album titled Line of Danger, hoping to capture that classic Metal sound that many fans young and old crave. Released through Pure Steel Records, singer Igor Arbuzov , dueling guitarists Roman Dovzhenko and Serg Ivanov, bassist Dmitry Pronin and drummer Dmitry Dovzhenko have put together 8 songs totaling 38:17 of straight ahead 80s styled Metal.

Line of Danger

The album opener “Let it Slide” kicks off with a quick riff rock groove and somewhat predictable verse/bridge/ chorus that does have some nice moments like the tasteful guitar solos, and a solid backbone. Title cut “Line of Danger” is more of a stock 4/4 chunker that feels like we’ve heard before, though again the guitar work is well performed and is the redeeming factor here. “The Son of Lucifer” offers us a nice 6/8 headbanger, bringing back memories of the early 80s and the NWOBHM movement for sure. The album in total feels like something I’ve already heard, which isn’t necessarily bad, just a bit lackluster.

Favorite Tracks

Of the 8 songs presented on Line of Danger, this reviewer’s favorite track is “Amidst the Furious Waves” with it’s almost Yngwie styled opening riff to it’s sweet harmony guitars. This song has a lot of well thought out and executed parts, and stands a head above the rest. “Crawling Blind” closes the album with more catchy 6/8 riffs, and is one of the more memorable tracks.

Final Notes

It’s a really tough thing to do to play music that’s fresh and new but in the style of the 80s Metal, and while this record definitely smacks of traditional 80s Metal it lacks in freshness. Maybe part of the problem is that the mix sounds like a budget release on an indie label actually from the 80s. The vocals seem to have the same delay/reverb mix from start to finish on every song, and it’s difficult to pick out the bass guitar. The drum mix feels dated as well, adding to the overall effect of the album just sounding ok. Considering the excellent musicianship of the players here I wanted to like this album more than I actually did, and I think the mediocre production has a lot to do with that. If you like mixes that sound like you picked up an old album from 1984, then you’ll probably enjoy this new offering from a solid band.

Lineup

Igor Arbuzov – vocals
Roman Dovzhenko – guitars
Serg Ivanov – guitars
Dmitry Pronin – bass
Dmitry Dovzhenko – drums

Line of Danger -Tracklist

1. Let It Slide
2. Line Of Danger
3. Amidst The Furious Waves
4. Race With Reality
5. The Son Of Lucifer
6. Murder
7. Only To Burn
8. Crawling Blind

Running Time: 38:17 min