1 	Extinction 	5:20
2 	Casuality Evacuation 	4:11
3 	Quest For Vengeance 	5:45
4 	Drowning Death 	4:30
5 	Betrayed Battalion 	5:57
6 	Satan's Host 	4:12
7 	The Arch Villian 	6:37
8 	Necropolis 	6:00
9 	Persuader 	5:07
10 	Suffer The Heretic To Burn 	5:41
11 	The Path Of The Righteous Man 	6:55

Blumi - Guitars (lead)
El Rojo - Vocals, Lyrics
Havoc - Drums
T. P. - Guitars (rhythm)
Kronos - Bass 

Germans Metal Inquisitor have been sticking to their guns now for about 12 years, exploring the roots of heavy metal with a heavy emphasis on classic British sounds like Saxon and Iron Maiden, and Unconditional Absolution sees refinement in both their writing and production values, so it's not a stretch to imagine that they've reached a new career height, surpassing the quality of The Apparition and Doomsday for the Heretic before the smoke has cleared off the first few tracks. Where so many younger bands are attempting to imbue manic vigor and ironic screaming into their 80s worship, these men sound like they not only actually lived it, but approach an album in 2010 much like their idols would, without any of the brash arrogance off or silly self-referential indulgence.

"Extinction" begins with steady rock fluency, giant shimmering AC/DC chords thrust into a Judas Priest verse, solid below the consistent delivery of El Rojo's distinct style. He's basically like a pastiche of various NWOBHM singers with a slight accent, never really scaling the heights to a screeching rage, but keeping the vocals smooth. "Casualty Evacuation" maintains the pace with busier riffing, and I truly enjoyed the bridge chords here, bluesy, hard rocking and well fit to Rojo's howling. They follow with what hints at balladry but soon erupts into another classic riff, "Quest for Vengeance", which sounds like the love child of Iron Maiden, Saxon and Riot (yes, a tryst!) But the best is yet to come, in "Betrayed Battalion", an angrier, powerful number that emits all the crunch and force of David Wayne's work in Metal Church/Reverend, or perhaps Sanctuary sans the Warrel Dane screaming. "Satan's Host", "The Arch Villain" and the fun "Persuader" are also a hoot, and "Suffer the Heretic to Burn" kicks the ass of almost anything else on the entire record (aside from "Betrayed Battalion").

I'm not sure that Unconditional Absolution creates the constituent, legendary moments of many of the band's influences through the chorus sections, but if you're a purist, you're very unlikely to care, you'll be so satisfied that a band like this honors where it came from without the needless stupidity of so many 'retro' acts. If you're into the more recent, quality effort by Accept or Saxon, or perhaps the better solo records from Bruce Dickinson or Halford, then you are exactly the sort of market that this will appeal to. Good hooks, great sound, and sincerity really add up here, and hopefully this will broach the broader audience than the 30 and 40 something record collectors who were partial to their previous albums. What I'm saying is, throw away the White Wizzard CD you've been fingering at the record shop, and pick this up instead, if you can find it. ---autothrall, metal-archives.com

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1. 	Confession Saves Blood 	04:40 	 
2. 	Burn Them All 	04:04 	 
3. 	Call the Banners 	04:01 	 
4. 	Black Desert Demon 	03:51 	 
5. 	Bounded Surface 	02:35 	 
6. 	Death on Demand 	04:52 	 
7. 	Self-Denial 	04:08 	 
8. 	Servant of State 	03:49 	 
9. 	The Pale Messengers 	04:33 	 
10. 	Second Peace of Thorn 	07:48 	  

Blumi - Guitars
El Rojo - Vocals
Havoc - Drums
T. P. - Guitars
Cliff Bubenheim – Bass

Formed in the late 90s by lead guitarist Blumi and drummer Witchhammer, Germany’s Metal Inquisitor have plodded along steadily through the years, releasing a batch of decent albums best described as full on heavy metal. Although Witchhammer fled the nest in 2000, the band has been prolific when it comes to fist-pumping metal.

It’s been four years since 2010’s Unconditional Absolution, however, on which Blumi was accompanied by drummer Havoc, guitarist T.P., bassist Kronos and vocalist El Rojo. Kronos departed in October 2010, and was replaced by Cliff Bubenheim. With Ultima Ratio Regis, Metal Inquisitor are once again armoured to the hilt for another ride into battle.

Metal Inquisitor are not ashamed to wear their influences on their sleeve. With so many classic bands being paid homage to over the last few years, Metal Inquisitor show the pretenders how it’s done, racing through solid compositions which bring to mind the traditional strains of Saxon, Iron Maiden, et al.

Each of the songs on offer here gallops along with denim-clad energy. Thankfully, they haven’t succumbed to the depths of modern technology, which means that Metal Inquisitor sounds like an 80s metal band in its prime, and that’s a big compliment. Album opener ‘Confession Saves Blood’ is a rollicking rocker of racing drums that builds steadily from the initial simmering intro, and with that chugging riff of fire and flailing bass, it’s a sure-fire winner as an opening salvo.

‘Burn Them All’ shimmers in with a trickling bass and molten melody before the blazing structure takes hold; again, there’s a hint of Saxon with more epic strains, hinting at majestic classic German metal. ‘Burn Them All’ epitomises Metal Inquisitor’s style with those chest-pounding vocals – which are clear and intense – while the riffs blaze off into the night, leaving a vapour trail in their wake.

‘Call The Banners’ is equally anthemic, again resorting to that traditional gallop we’ve come to know and love of numerous New Wave Of British Heavy Metal albums. However, the band isn’t just a one-dimensional beast – far from it, in fact. ‘Black Desert Demon’ is a chunky affair of ominous melody and weighty aplomb, while ‘Bounded Surface’ and ‘Death On Demand’ are extremely fearsome, the latter hinting at some thrashier structures, reminding me of a lethal mix between Metal Church and Blind Guardian.

Although the likes of ‘Self-Denial’ could be deemed a tad generic, there’s real purpose about Metal Inquisitor; no real frills, but just sound and sturdy metal anthems that dig in deep and get the blood flowing. ‘Servant Of State’ lowers the tempo slightly, while ‘The Pale Messengers’ offers a tidy chug and bouncing bass, leading us to the closing ‘Second Peace Of Thorn’ – the truly epic track on the opus. Running for nearly eight minutes, it showcases the more imaginative and majestic side of Metal Inquisitor.

To be honest, I’m slightly saddened that the guys didn’t inject a few more simmering passages of this ilk into the opus. But having said that, the main aim of Ultima Ratio Regis is to rock hard, and that’s exactly what it does. This is full-blooded metal that takes no prisoners, and ‘Second Peace Of Thorn’’ really is the icing on this cake of glimmering steel. ---Neil Arnold, metalforcesmagazine.com

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