Gauntlet - The Comeback

I’ve seen fans on this site complain about how “TTM praises every album they review.” Those individuals clearly never read my review of Gauntlet’s 2005 release, Path of Nails.

The Madrid band was awful on that one. My standard for metal from the Iberian Peninsula at the time was Dreammaker, a feisty, talented group. In comparison, Gauntlet’s music and lyrics were embarrassing. A three-song trilogy based on the film “Alien” with vocalist Ivo Galenov (by way of Bulgaria, folks) screaming “Stay away from him, you bitch!”? To add insult to injury, the production was totally uneven, amateurish.

What else can you title your next release after that disaster then The Comeback? Particularly when it’s for some reason only a three-song demo?

“The Comeback” begins with what sounds like guitar coming out of a boom box. Then Gauntlet launch at us with simple but somewhat angry riffs. This sounds better right off the bat—almost like the band is embracing their limitations and therefore sounding tighter. Galenov is trying to be an Eastern European Tony Martin or something. The guitarists, Daniel Millan and Miguel Rocha, provide straightforward, classic leads with passion. And we even get a bass jam by Santiago Garcia. Goddamn, this song gets better with every minute. Maybe this truly is a comeback! Listen, it’s not like they’re going to make me stop listening to Nevermore (or even old Manowar), but Gauntlet is raw and kinda’ fun.

“A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing” begins with the sound of an animal mewling. More fun. Gauntlet even manage to be interesting here, something they never were on Path of Nails. This is the kind of metal you put a case of beer in the back of an SUV for. When Galenov yells at his nemesis in the song, “PIECE OF SHIT!”, I even have the sudden urge to throw up my fist and charge. Unfortunately, he’s only good in bunches. The guitarist have elevated their games, however, with even a Maiden touch or two.

The closer, “Die Away,” is my least favorite of the bunch. It sounds like The Scorpions if they sucked. I just wish Galenov would quit the pretense of singing clean and give us some death or black vocals. This music is tough but not heavy. Credit drummer Alejandro Martinez, however, with his “double-bass moment” here. Nice kid, nice. And I tell you what, they close with a cool, spacey riff that almost borders on prog—SWEET. It’s a comeback within a comeback!

And then there's a video for "The Comeback" on this disc. Why does Garcia look like he's 55 or something? As soon as Galenov stares into a cow skull I know he's the next Halford. This one is done in the style of the great metal videos of the 80s and beautifully put together by Kiko Meler. This band can smoke cigarettes and drink beer with the best of 'em!

Miguel, you told me you guys would prove me wrong this time and I gotta’ admit, I like a lot of what I hear here. You have made a credible metal record that I would love to drink beer to (if I still did). It’s a muscular effort that is somewhat misguided but also at times quite worthy of banging one's head to.