Though organized in the early Eighties, California’s Axehammer has had a spotty recording history. There first full-length album, Windrider, only arrived in 2005. Seven years later, they deliver Marching On, perhaps a title that reflects their perseverance.
Axehammer delivers basically no frills, straight up, American heavy and power metal. They’ve got a new lead singer in Kleber Mandrake, who sounds like a stranger mixture of Geddy Lee and young Halford. He can sing, scream, and hit those high notes with ease. However, sometimes his sustained higher notes can sound like a vibrato warble.
