Rome is a city with a history of commanding power. Apparently the metal that rises up from Rome is no different. Today we look at a demo album from a new Italian power metal band, Windseeker. Normally the phrase “power metal” elicits a shudder from my unrefined ears, but fortunately, Windseeker make all the right adjustments that I desire in my power metal. Firstly, they spice up their sound with some thrashy influences, and then they make sure to shred in liberal amounts, and lastly, give it a dense production.

By the Seed of the Same God has four tracks, 18 minutes in total length, and all of decent quality. The opening track, “Wrapped in Plastic” almost has me thinking death metal for the first half-minute, then suddenly it’s total Iced Earth worship, riding a gallop all the way to a clean interlude, two minutes in. The guitar duo of Alessandro di Clemente and Simone Lanna shows off their guitar acrobatics here, as well as a few other key points throughout the album. “I’m the Cybored” is more typical power metal, with lots of delicious leads, but they tend to stretch out a short song too far here. Double bass drumming commands the third song, “Deconstructure”, and there’s an interesting little lead that sounds like it came from Chuck Schuldiner’s fingers. Further helping Windseeker’s cause, growled vocals show up in the final song “Suffering”, a song that is a great traditional metal song, when considered as a whole. This last track features Mauro Gelsomini’s best vocal performance. He’s got a sincere mid-range voice, but when he tries to hit the highs, it sounds somewhat forced. But I can relate, as I’ve forced quite a few highs while singing along in the Dieselmobile.

Week after week all I get is quality music to review, even in the demos. This is a great sign for the metal world. But back to Windseeker…they’ve released a demo that shows maturity and potential. Naturally, the songwriting isn’t of the caliber of an Iron Maiden or a Blind Guardian, but their musical abilities are right where they need to be. Windseeker isn’t breaking any ground in this heavily-traveled genre, but good metal is good metal.