{"id":465226,"date":"2026-02-13T00:59:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T00:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/465226\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T00:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T00:59:14","slug":"greyhawk-warriors-of-greyhawk-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/465226\/","title":{"rendered":"Greyhawk – Warriors of Greyhawk Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"What a week this has been for Seattle-based, Hawk-themed, team-oriented activities! Not only did I just get to see my beloved Seattle Seahawks reach the precipice of American football via the most awesome post-season arc I could have possibly drawn up, but I also get yet another opportunity to cover my beloved hometown metal heroes, Greyhawk. I\u2019ve written<\/a> ad<\/a> nauseam<\/a> about how I found the band and their brand of hard-rocking traditional metal, and I\u2019ve routinely gushed my appreciation for their commitment to mind-positivity. Yes, it is safe to say that I am a total fanboy. So, it was with a fair bit of trepidation that I sat down with Greyhawk\u2019s third full-length album, Warriors of Greyhawk, knowing it to be the band\u2019s first release since the departure of their distinctive original front man, Revere \u201cRev\u201d Taylor. I\u2019ve always loved Taylor\u2019s operatic approach to metal singing, so I guess it makes sense that he has moved on to pursue (rather successfully, it appears) a career as a professional opera singer. How does a party carry on after the departure of such a powerful wizard? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n

Greyhawk\u2019s sound has been undergoing constant evolution since the band\u2019s beginnings, and Warriors of Greyhawk is no different. Over the years, the straightforward heavy metal of the band\u2019s debut EP has morphed to include elements of speed metal, album-oriented rock, and now, with the introduction of new singer Anthony Corso, a healthy dose of power metal. Corso has a much more \u201cstandard\u201d approach to metal vocals than Taylor, and his high register leaves him naturally suited to bridge the gap between classic heavy metal and its cheesiest of cousins. Advance single \u201cAscension\u201d begins in Priestly fashion before handing out some Helloween candy with Corso\u2019s stratospheric chorus. The track strikes the perfect balance between the band\u2019s traditional past and powerful future.<\/p>\n

Warriors Of Greyhawk by Greyhawk<\/a><\/p>\n

And that balance is a microcosm of the rest of Warriors of Greyhawk. The band\u2019s trad-metal identity is secure with cuts like \u201cTake a Stand,\u201d the Dio-esque title track, and the Accept-able \u201cEmbers Rise,\u201d with the latter being the most quintessentially snarl-able heavy metal song I\u2019ve heard so far this year. Thanks to the furious groove laid down by guitarists Jesse Berlin and Rob Steinway and the thunder from bassist Darin \u201cThe Bulletproof Barbarian<\/a>\u201d Wall, the track gives me some serious Dream Evil vibes. But the band just as easily veers into pure power metal with the Running Wild riffing of \u201cEndless Race\u201d and \u201cLand of Ashes, while \u201cHyperspace\u201d blasts straight to Guitar Hero status with enough pyrotechnics to rival Dragonforce.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I dig the production this time out. It feels big and beefy most of the time, but the leads still have that razor-sharp, molten edge to them\u2014*Chef\u2019s kiss*. About the only misstep I can point to is the inclusion of essentially two epic closers back-to-back in \u201cRise Above\u201d and \u201cEternal Quest.\u201d Both songs are good, but I think that \u201cRise Above\u201d fails to match the quality of its set mates and that Warriors of Greyhawk would feel tighter (at 43 minutes instead of 49) and finish more powerfully had it been axed. The band took a risk by including Rev Taylor beside Corso on album highlight \u201cChosen,\u201d and I\u2019ll admit that hearing his powerful baritone nearly brings me to tears every time I hear it. But ultimately, the track ends up being a fitting farewell to a foundational figure in the band\u2019s history, and it\u2019s the perfect way for fans to compare Greyhawk\u2019s past to its future. Best of luck on your future endeavors, Rev. Metal\u2019s loss is opera\u2019s gain!<\/p>\n

Warriors of Greyhawk is undoubtedly a transitional album as the band finds its way forward with a new vocalist, but it also feels like the songwriting has reached a new level compared to previous efforts. This leaves Greyhawk with enormous potential moving forward, and honestly, without a minor flub at the album\u2019s close, I\u2019d be tempted to hang a 4.0 on this one. Much like those other Hawks of Seattle, apparently, these guys don\u2019t rebuild; they reload. Go Hawks!<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

Rating: 3.5\/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Cruz del Sur Music<\/a>
Websites: greyhawkmetal.bandcamp.com<\/a> | facebook.com\/greyhawkheavymetal<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: February 13th, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What a week this has been for Seattle-based, Hawk-themed, team-oriented activities! Not only did I just get to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[54639,12018,46849,9673,216593,8808,192690,216594,88,210671,216595,146510,25605,81312,14067,216,91422,899,900,216596],"class_list":["post-465226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-54639","tag-3-5","tag-accept","tag-american-metal","tag-cruz-del-sur-music","tag-dio","tag-dragonforce","tag-dream-evil","tag-entertainment","tag-feb26","tag-greyhawk","tag-hard-rock","tag-heavy-metal","tag-helloween","tag-judas-priest","tag-music","tag-power-metal","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-warriors-of-greyhawk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}