The world needs more great Metal songs with lead bass.
Mike LePond, best-known as a founding member of Symphony X, is one of modern Metal’s premier bassists. His style hews closer to Steve Harris, Billy Sheehan, and D.D. Verni than Les Claypool, Geddy Lee, or Dug Pinnick, but he’s a match for all of the above in dexterity and creativity on the fat strings - - whether there are 4 or 8. LePond plays some backing guitars and supplies some backing vocals on “Whore of Babylon,” but he shines through on each track as the lead bass Assassin, delivering the main riffs, killer solos, and low end harmonization. His instrument is up front with the guitars and vox, not just background rhythm.

Alan Tecchio is a NY/NJ Metal journeyman legend, famous for founding stints as singer with Hades and Non-Fiction. Thirty-five years later, he hasn’t lost one iota of his shriek or edge. There are so many things that are just RIGHT about “Whore of Babylon,” but his voice one of the best.
LePond and Tecchio are the constants on every song, along with primary lead guitarist Lance Barnewold, the latter of whom appears on 6 of the 10 tracks. The rest of the Assassins include Michael Romeo (Symphony X), Sarah Teets, Rod Rivera, and Michael Pinnella.
In simple terms, this is just good Heavy Metal music, in its classic definition. There are elements of Power Metal, Prog Metal, Speed Metal, Folk Metal, and just straightforward Rock n’ Roll, but the riffs and attack here hearken to the genre’s first halcyon days without sounding dated or wistful. LePond and his crew use motifs and styles from across the decades to prove that Metal is every bit as relevant today as it’s ever been. There are some quieter moments, but overall, “Whore of Babylon” is a ferocious and heavy experience. Listen with the proper protective gear.
Lyrically, this album is also like your junior year of college classes, just much more fun. As with Iron Maiden, almost every song gives a tale or profile of bloody violence from figures out of Western history and classical literature - - including Vlad Tepes, Elizabeth Bathory, Julius Caesar and the writings of George R.R. Martin and Edgar Allen Poe.
The title track is sexy and mysterious, with Eastern scales, sitars, and a seductive percussion groove - - probably the best track on the album. I also highly recommend “Avalon,” “Dracul Son,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
“Whore of Babylon” is one of the essential album releases of 2020. Miss it at your peril.