The spirit of NWOBHM lives on through Eliminator's Ancient Light

Galloping riffs? Twin-guitar harmonies? They're impressive to behold on Eliminator's Ancient Light

Eliminator: Ancient Light
(Image: © Dissonance)

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It’s good to hear a band delivering this kind of metal with such intense conviction . Taking inspiration from NWOBHM and channelling their creativity into a sound that mostly recalls mid-80s Iron Maiden, the galloping riffs and twin-guitar harmonies on offer are impressive to behold. 

A concept album of sorts focusing on the theme of entropy, Ancient Light finds the band really hitting their stride on Silent Stone, Mercy and Foreverless, denim-and-leatherclad anthems one and all. 

Versatile and inventive songwriting shines throughout, and comes to the fore in The Sculptor And The Stone Lady and The Library, which feature some pleasingly proggy time changes. 

Steeped in tradition, powerful and uncompromising, Ancient Light is a thoroughly modern classic metal album.

Essi Berelian

Whether it’s magazines, books or online, Essi has been writing about rock ’n’ metal for around thirty years. He has been reviews editor for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, rock reviews editor for lads mag Front and worked for Kerrang!. He has also written the Rough Guide to Heavy Metal and contributed to the Rough Guide to Rock and Rough Guide Book of Playlists, and the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (13th edition). Most fun interview? Tenacious D – Jack Black and Kyle Gass – for The Pick of Destiny movie book. An avid record/CD/tape collector, he’s amassed more music than he could ever possibly listen to, which annoys his wife no end.