JUDGE MINOS – “The Keeper of Imbalance” Album Review

SUMMARY

Lineup

Shane Eagle – Vocals, Jerry Jay – Drums, Joe Ming – Bass, Don Diego – Guitars, Dominic Blum – Guitars

IN SHORT

Judge Minos was formed in 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland by singer Shane Eagle and guitarist Dominic Blum. Their sound and styles are reminiscent of bands like METAL CHURCH, SLAYER, and ICED EARTH. Their 6-track debut EP The Keeper of Imbalance released in August of 2020. Now, before we move on to the review of The Keeper of Imbalance I need to include a disclaimer. I am going to spend a lot of time gushing over this band, as they are quickly becoming one of my new favorites. Their style, blending thrash and power metal, fits squarely in my wheelhouse. So perhaps this review is a bit biased. You have been warned!

That said, the performances are undeniably incredible, highlighted by vocalist Shane Eagle. He sings with a perfect mix of grit and talent, and his range rivals some of the most legendary metal vocalists. As a whole, The Keeper of Imbalance is the epitome of ‘Heavy Metal’. To paraphrase a comment left on one of their videos, this is what metal should sound like in the 2020s.

Even the production quality is impressive. It is one of the best mixes for any independent release I’ve heard. The instruments are all well-balanced and appropriately heavy-hitting; it’s a great album to crack up on a stereo. My only gripe is that I would like to see the bass guitar higher in the mix – but as a bass player myself, I almost always think that.

In all, JUDGE MINOS looks to have a bright future in metal; from the vocals, to the guitar riffs, to the heavy rhythm section, these 5 young musicians take a modern approach to the genre. The Keeper of Imbalance proves that JUDGE MINOS is a very promising act and a must-listen for metalheads everywhere!

IN DEPTH

The EP opens with the title track “The Keeper of Imbalance” and is an immediate attention grabber. The band’s sound is modern and the song-writing emulates some of ICED EARTH’s traits. Vocalist Shane Eagle even sounds like Matt Barlow (from ICED EARTH) at times. The opening track is heavy but includes a catchy chorus. It does a great job of balancing on the line between thrash and power metal. There are no shortage of riffs on the track and “The Keeper of Imbalance” is an early example of the abundance of talented musicianship, highlight by an impressive guitar solo. In all, this first track will have you headbanging from the very first listen and only improves with more viewings.

The second track, “Believe or Die” starts off as a full-force thrash song, and quickly turns down a corner of riff driven power metal. The song ebbs and flows and doesn’t give you a chance to take a breath. In other words, the track is constantly evolving as it moves from one riff to another and plays with tempo changes within the same riffs. The standout performance on this track is drummer Jerry Jay, whose drum fills remind me of Dave Lombardo’s SLAYER days. This is probably why “Believe or Die” gives me a SLAYER-vibe. In all, the track is an example of traditional metal song-writing with some bold and creative additions.

The third track, “The Deadman” has me convinced that vocalist Shane Eagle has the chops to be the next Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, etc. (i.e. legendary metal vocalists). His voice is the perfect combination of grit and talent.

The track itself, which is a tribute to wrestler The Undertaker, takes a mid-tempo approach and includes some excellent moments. However, it also makes a few rookie mistakes. JUDGE MINOS continues to showcase their ability to write heavy songs with catchy elements with “The Deadman”. But, a few of the arrangement decisions are questionable. For example, the intro tries to be a little too “cute” and it takes me a minute to get into the song every time I listen. In addition, while the band does a great job of giving the track emotional depth, the outro doesn’t match the emotion and (in my opinion) “The Deadman”  ends on a rather flat note. That said, the middle section of the song is excellent. The biggest standouts are the multiple interludes and bridges, all of which show off the band’s impressive musicianship. “The Deadman” is also arguably the best vocal performance, among a plethora of outstanding vocal performances, for Shane Eagle.

“Nuclear Winter” opens with a really crunchy guitar riff, reminiscent of old-school ICED EARTH. The entire track sounds like a variety of old ICED EARTH tracks as the band leans heavily on power metal traits. The verse is a true ear-worm and even includes a little IRON MAIDEN gallop to it. Another nice touch to the track is the use of vocal harmonies, which adds to the variety in “Nuclear Winter”. Ultimately, the song is a little less adventurous (in terms of evolving riffs) but does everything very well. There are no weak spots to this track.

“Sea of Lies” is one of the few stumbling blocks on JUDGE MINOS’ EP. While the individual parts of the song are all strong, they just don’t fit together. The track feels disconnected at times. The best example I can give is the jarring change between the intro and first verse. The intro has a slow, tribal-esque beat that abruptly shifts to a mid-tempo thrash riff for the verse. The two parts don’t fit together at all. “Sea of Lies” takes a more simplistic approach than the rest of the EP with fewer wandering, evolving, riffs. But, again, the riffs don’t always mesh. Every time I listen to the song, I feel like I’m being pulled in multiple directions. By no means is the track bad, but it does not measure up to the rest of The Keeper of Imbalance. A big highlight of the track though: that double bass kick!

The final track on the EP is my favorite. “Final Flash” gives a little bit of everything: fast riffs, soaring vocals, tempo changes, melody, and a little more IRON MAIDEN inspired galloping. The track flows so naturally, you get sucked in right away and want more when it ends. The chorus is especially memorable, and this is where “Final Flash” hits its peak. The section with the lyrics “cold, so cold…the darkness I behold” gives me goosebumps every time – the highest compliment I can give. The last minute of the track is just epic. The soaring vocal harmonies are everything you could ask for in metal music. It is the perfect cherry on top of a great EP.

CONCLUSION

In summary, The Keeper of Imbalance is terrific from start to finish. A harsh critique would be to say JUDGE MINOS hits a home-run on 5 of 6 tracks. The only thing holding this EP back is the simple fact that it is an EP; it is too short to be considered a full-length album. Are the performances all superior? Yes! The vocals could be a legend in the making, the guitars are nothing short of precision, and the bass and drums prop the whole thing up with a strong foundation. The EP also showcases glimpses of talented song-writing and an ability to mix melody into hulking riffs. The Keeper of Imbalance is truly an example of what metal should sound like in the 2020s, and a great start for a young band.

HIGHLIGHTS

“Believe or Die”, “Nuclear Winter”, “Final Flash”