Armed to the Teeth

As the Canadian metal-revivalist band Striker gained accolades for its lauded 2010 debut album, Eyes in the Night, much expectation was thrust onto its next release. Striker's 2012 sophomore album surpasses all supposition in performance, songwriting, and recording quality. Armed to the Teeth could be mistaken for the very same New Wave of British Heavy Metal pioneered by bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, and early Def Leppard. The opener, “Forever,” will rip through your speakers with galloping rhythms, fretboard-burning speed-metal wizardry, and frontman Dan Cleary’s razor-honed falsetto harmonies. Guitarists Chris Segger and Ian Sandercock effortlessly traverse from hard-chugging riffs to fiery leads and harmonic plucks with a balance of ease and energy. The following “Let It Burn” is a supercharged metal anthem with a triumphant chorus that begs to be blasted from the speakers of an early-'80s Pontiac Firebird Trans Am by a young longhaired man in tight stonewashed blue jeans. The outstanding “Wolf Gang” plays at breakneck speeds that would make Rob Halford proud.