Canada’s own STRIKER has a new album out this week, titled ‘Ultrapower‘, the Edmonton band’s 7th record. First off, love this cover-art by Al Perez/Ramone Sketch, awesome retro 80s drawing of machine/robot and cool colorful lettering drawn in. These guys are really more fast paced hard-rock /metal, but throw in elements of AOR/pop, prog-metal, and party type rock & anthems. The band’s latest single “Give It All” even features keys and saxophone, and those big ’80s backing vocals, making this one sound like it could be out of some lost ’80s action hero movie! For the most part this is really good, with standouts “Circle Of Evil” (the previous single, a Malmsteen inspired metal cut about secret societies, etc..), as well as ’80s styled arena rockers “Turn The Lights Out” , “City Calling” (influenced by 80s AOR & pop like Kenny Loggins and Toto) , and “Ready For Anything”. Most interesting track is the sorta progressive “Blood Magic”, with a few twists and changes, big guitar solos, with the band citing King Diamond as an influence here. Musically these guys pick up lots from ’80s bands like Dokken, Queensryche, Anthrax, as well as Judas Priest (the ’80s stuff)… Well worth checking out. A fun rocking album! *Check out the band bio below, as well as the 3 videos from Ultrapower, and links!

STRIKER:

Dan Cleary – Vocals
Tim Brown – Guitar
John Simon Fallon – Guitar
Pete Klassen – Bass
Jono Webster – Drums (album only)

Blending classic heavy metal, hard rock, and 80’s hair metal, Striker has been making shredtacular anthems since 2007. The band has toured multiple times across Europe and North America, chosen to open for Metallica in their hometown of Edmonton, AB, Canada along with many festival appearances that include 70,000 Tons of Metal, Wacken Open Air (Germany), Bang Your Head Festival (Germany), and more to add to the almost 1000 shows performed in their decade-plus career. The band has been honoured with multiple Best Album awards in their home country of Canada from the JUNO Awards(The Canadian equivalent to the American Grammy), Western Canadian Music Awards, and the Edmonton Music Awards. 

Striker is kicking off 2024 with their seventh studio album “ULTRAPOWER”, which follows their Juno Award-winning self-released full-length “Play to Win” (2018) released on their label Record Breaking Records. The new album also features the band’s latest lineup addition of long-time friend and guitarist John Simon Fallon (The Order of Chaos). For the band’s seventh full-length, they teamed up with producer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, Tallah, King 810), entering the studio in March 2023. With the band writing material since 2018, “ULTRAPOWER” is a collection of five years of Striker tinkering and exploring new avenues.

“ULTRAPOWER is the amalgamation of 5 years of writing and exploring music. With influences from AOR to Speed Metal, Hardcore to Hair Metal, Steely Dan to Deathcore, you name it, it made its way into the album. In the end with the help of Josh Schroeder’s guiding hand, we melted it all together to present something uniquely Striker. Lyrically we’ve stuck to the Striker tradition of writing montage songs for movies that don’t exist, songs about our spiraling serfdom, and lyrics about the evils that lurk in the shadows.” adds the band.

 “ULTRAPOWER” follows Striker’s six studio albums Eyes in the Night (2010, Iron Kodex), Armed to The Teeth (2012, Napalm), City of Gold (2014, Napalm), Stand in the Fire (2016, Record Breaking), Striker (2017, Record Breaking), and Play to Win (2018, Record Breaking). 

*CDs and digital downloads are available on Striker-Metal.com, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and CD Baby.

LINKS:

Striker-Metal.com | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Soundcloud

Bandcamp | Spotify | iTunes | Big Cartel | CD Baby