I can no longer deny who I am: I like female fronted traditional metal. It all began in 2016, when Satan’s Hallow released their 2016 eponymous album, easily one of the best trad records of the 2010’s. While the female vocals initially seemed like a detriment, something to get over for me so I could enjoy the sweet, sweet NWOBHM riffs, I not only warmed up to it but found a lot of benefits to the sound. Female vocalists tend to not sound like they’re reaching to hit the higher registers and while most of the 80s vocalists put up very middling performances, many of the newer front women are endlessly talented, much more than what their legacy as mostly a novelty would suggest. Tower is another one of these acts that not only have a woman at the helm, but a talented vocalist, surpassing a legacy that was often built around having the unique selling point in subverting the (admittedly often toxic) ideals of masculinity inherent in metal without having all that much musical substance.
Tower aren’t Girlschool, or Doro or Savage Master — they have a vision and a unique sound and it’s only fitting that Tower‘s newest, Let there be Dark, releases so closely to Savage Master‘s latest release. While Savage Master was mostly built around a completely undeserving cult of personality around vocalist Stacey Savage, Tower could have a similar cult of personality around Sarabeth Linden but simply choose not to. These are tight songs, with good pacing and a good variety in how they approach riffs and songwriting. Opener “Under the Chapel”, for example, is built around the contrast between the more mid-paced, power chord based choruses and the speed metal assault of the instrumental bridges that tie all the riffs together. Closer “The Hammer” approaches both the power metal and epic doom ends of the trad spectrum, with choruses that approach hymns and a constant build that justifies its almost seven minute length. And in between these two tracks you’ll find — well everything in between. From 80s glam, to overdriven balladry, to almost thrash-like aggression — Tower have it all. The writing is not perfect — there are a few too many fade-outs and I wish the interludes on the album, while well integrated, were actual songs instead or outright cut — but it’s undeniably some of the better trad metal writing I’ve heard in a while.
Tower, unlike many other acts of their ilk, are more willing to embrace more mainstream oriented trends of 70s and 80s guitar music without outright quoting them, or become a rock act for that matter. It makes sense, as Linden has a clear tendency in her vocals to dig into rock tropes. Her alto voice is unique among bands like these and she showcases a great sense of variety and creativity in how she writes her vocal lines. These songs sound different, they can be sung along to and they make you want to sing along to them, but the band never has to sacrifice anything to make Linden the main attraction — she just is. The reason Tower is better than many comparable acts is that their craft seems natural, effortless maybe. This is not an imitation of a b-grade 80s act that had a woman at the helm: It’s just good music.
