I have heard about Meliah Rage quite a bit over the past couple years but have never gotten around to checking them out. I was rather excited to see their latest album "The Deep and Dreamless Sleep" end up in my hands recently. I have got to say this is some rather cool stuff. At first I couldn’t tell if they were going for an all out thrash metal sound or just straight forward heavy metal but I have to lean towards the latter. The thrash moments are there and while they are cool they do not give me the punch I get from bands like Overkill, Testament, and Destruction. Energetic guitar work is represented throughout the album especially on the title track.

A Metallica influence in arrangements is present throughout the album and I am talking the Metallica of old which is something the Metallica of today oughta take notes from…wow did I say that? Here’s a little heavy metal history lesson, Meliah Rage came to be after the guys were inspired by Metallica’s first visit to Boston in 1983.

Paul Souzas vocals range from normal singing to pretty gritty on certain tracks such as ‘Undefeated’. The opening seconds of ‘Take What You Want’ definitely had me thinking of ‘We Rock’ by Dio. With only 8 tracks, the 36 minute album passes you by like a train rumbling down the tracks.

Having released their first album "Kill to Survive" in 1988 it is very cool that these guys are still around. With many lineup changes over the years it was very interesting to learn Sully Erna was the drummer of the band before he went on to be the lead singer of the larger than life Godsmack. This band is not reinventing the wheel in anyway but play some very solid and enjoyable metal. While I do not find them up there with the genre’s heavyweights I do hold them on the same level as bands like Agent Steel, Eldritch, and Flotsam and Jetsam.

I suggest checking these guys out as they are indeed above average. Meliah will be on tour this January with the legendary Metal Church, which I am very much looking forward to checking out. Lucky for me the New York City stop of the tour at BB Kings also has Joey Belladonna of Anthrax and Overkill as the headliner of the bill so it will be a night of metal thrashing mad.