traveller metal band

Traveler – Traveler Review

Yes and no. Every song here is a high-energy, no-holds-barred, no-shits-given attack on our ears, like the aforementioned Manilla Road production ethos combined with the up-tempo material of Dawnbringer . In fact, Jean-Pierre Abboud sounds remarkably similar to Chris Black, and the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the songs is stellar. Opening track “Starbreaker,” one of the reworked demo songs, is a pure, old-school NWOBHM gallop complete with twin guitar harmonies and Abboud’s killer vocals. There’s no let-up anywhere on Traveler , either. “Street Machine” is reminiscent rhythmically of early Iron Maiden , and “Behind the Iron” even reminds one of “Back in the Village.” Not bad comparisons, and even with the production and performances being rough around the edges, the songs have a certain charisma and charm about them—we can’t help but enjoy listening.

Later on in the album, Traveler do bring some attempts at dynamics into play. “Fallen Heroes” could be considered a mid-paced song, led by a simple, harmonized riff. Abboud still attacks the lyrics with verve and aplomb, and the pace picks up beautifully in the middle of the song, as though the band can’t help but go full tilt eventually. “Mindless Maze” features a token slow, clean guitar intro, yet blasts onwards after a minute. At over six minutes, it could be considered the album’s epic track. And as if the energy on these first seven songs hasn’t been enough, closing track “Speed Queen” ups the ante, delivering a near-thrash breakneck cut to bring proceedings to an end.

The songs here on Traveler are close to great throughout, suffering only from questionable production choices and length. Only two of these eight cuts are under four and a half minutes (one being a brief instrumental flurry), and when they’re all high energy metallic jackhammers, they can outlive their joy just slightly. It’s a messy, raucous, and glorious low-budget recording, and while that’s fine, one still has to produce carefully. Often on Traveler we find Abboud’s vocals vying for space in the midrange frequencies with the rhythm guitars. This could be cleaned up while maintaining the proto-metal ascetic.

What stands out consistently with Traveler is the energy and joy in Abboud’s vocals, the taut, go-for-it, rhythm section, and the blistering solos. Listening to this 40-minute blast of energy leaves me exhausted yet smiling; the band’s vigor is infectious. The song writing is strong, and shows that with a tweak here and a tightening there, Traveler could be onto something on their next album. If you’re looking for a band with the proto-metal style and feel of Manilla Road , the up-tempo energy of early Iron Maiden , and the Dawnbringer take on the whole retro scene, Traveler might just be your thing.

Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: Gates of Hell Records Websites: travelermetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/travelerheavymetal Releases Worldwide: February 22nd, 2019

Show 1 footnote

• $940 Canadian can literally buy you some shoestrings. ↩

Give in to Your Anger:

Rating system.

5.0 - Iconic 4.5 - Excellent 4.0 - Great 3.5 - Very Good 3.0 - Good 2.5 - Mixed 2.0 - Disappointing 1.5 - Bad 1.0 - Embarrassing 0.5 - Unlistenable

Record o' the Month

1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 American Metal Black Metal Black Sabbath Canadian Metal Death Metal Doom Metal Finnish Metal Folk Metal German Metal Heavy Metal Iron Maiden Italian Metal Melodic Death Metal Norwegian Metal Opeth Post-Metal Power Metal Progressive Metal Review Reviews Self Release Self Released Slayer Swedish Metal Technical Death Metal Thrash Metal

• Heavy Blog is Heavy 0
• Invisible Oranges 0
• Metal Bandcamp 0
• No Clean Singing 0

Privacy and Cookies Policy

• listening party
• existing artist
• artists PRO view site
• edit profile
• subscription subscription
• view collection
• showLinkedBands(!showLinkedBands())" data-test="linked-accounts-header">
• See all results

No matching results

Try a different filter or a new search keyword.

Search all Bandcamp artists, tracks, and albums

Last February, Canadian true metal band Traveler released a self-titled debut album that stood out from its crowded scene largely by channeling Judas Priest and Iron Maiden more successfully than anyone else. They weren’t afraid of the comparisons, either. “Starbreaker” shares a title with a beloved cut from Sin After Sin , and “Behind the Iron” winks at the fact that it sounds like a Powerslave outtake. As great as that record was, its full-throttle heavy metal songs were almost templatized, and they seemed to only scratch the surface of what the band was capable of compositionally. Now, they’re back with Termination Shock , an album that one-ups its predecessor in both ambition and execution.

“[The sound on the first record] was pretty much intentional, man.” says Matt Ries, founder, primary songwriter, and lead guitarist for Traveler. “That’s my own fault with the first one, kind of using the same song structure. And I had a lot of fun doing that, but I definitely made a conscious effort to not do the same repetitive structures on this one.”

That effort is evident. Each song on Termination Shock feels like a challenge the band has issued itself, and they pass each one with flying colors. “Shaded Mirror” and “Foreverman” are mid-tempo rippers with soaring choruses. The title track is a high-drama sci-fi epic in miniature, a trad-metal Alien. “Deepspace” flirts with speed metal, and the anthemic closing track “Terra Exodus” is a leather-gloved middle finger at the ruling class.

In the process of writing their way out of the first record’s box, Traveler found a musical identity to call their own. It’s built on Jean-Pierre Abboud’s peerless vocals, Ries’s and Toryin Schadlich’s twin guitar leads, and now, an unpredictability as songwriters that registers as just a bit off, in the best way possible. Even “Diary of a Maiden,” a song that openly pays homage to their heroes from London, bears the band’s unique imprint. (“I made an effort to call myself out on it if I’m paying tribute to someone,” Ries says of the song’s title.)

Ries conducted this interview from Calgary, where he’s in quarantine after the band’s first-ever European tour was cut short by the Covid crisis. Schadlich and drummer Chad Vallier are also Calgary based, but bassist Dave Arnold lives in Edmonton, and Abboud is currently stationed in Michigan. Despite the miles between the members and the more complex songwriting, Termination Shock was a more collaborative album than Traveler . Ries wrote the first album by himself, but here, major contributions were made by Abboud, Arnold, and Jean-Pierre Fortin of Canadian metal legends Deaf Dealer, who wrote “STK” and gifted it to the band.

“We [had] to learn these songs on our own and then come together to jam them for the first time. The first time we [heard] these songs all put together [was] within the recording process, so it’s a little different how our band works,” Ries says. “But where there’s a will, there’s a way, man. We make it work.”

Despite—or perhaps because of—that process of working in isolation before coming together, the recording feels very much alive with the energy of discovery. The band sounds thrilled to be hearing these songs unfold for the first time, and every change in tempo and key feels like a revelation. Ries points to “After the Future” as a song that particularly embodied the adaptive, collaborative nature of the recording.

“That one was written completely backwards,” Ries says. “I had the idea all laid out, and I recorded the demo for it, and as we were recording the vocals for it, me and JP [Abboud] had to completely flip it around to make it what it is right now. A lot of the melodies came in way later. We actually drove ourselves nuts with that one. That one’s a bit of a headache, but we’re really happy with the way it turned out.”

Their hard work paid off, and Termination Shock stands as one of the finest albums of the current true metal boom. It also affirms the band’s position in the canon of Canadian heavy metal, a lineage that includes the likes of Deaf Dealer, Razor , Exciter, and Annihilator—all bands that, like Traveler, started with an established template but went on to forge their own paths.

Metal heavy metal Read more in Metal →

Top Stories

Latest see all stories

On Bandcamp Radio see all

• terms of use
• acceptable use & moderation
• switch to mobile view

TRAVELER Interview on the Metal Community

June 12, 2021 Mathew Interviews 0

“I’ve just always appreciated the support [of the metal community]. There’s so much love for the underground. And it’s grown so much even over the last 10 years. It’s amazing to see. It feels like underground bands like us have a chance at going the distance.”

As a part of our series about the metal community, we had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Ries and JP Abboud from TRAVELER.

Traveler is a Heavy Metal band formed in Calgary, Alberta in late 2017. One demo and two records later, they are on to album three! The band is eager to get back on the road when the world reopens! Check out their latest album, “ Termination Shock ”, out now on Gates of Hell Records.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your band’s backstory?

MATT: Hey thanks for having us! I guess the short version would be I had about an album’s worth of tunes I was working on with hopes of seeing what I could do outside of my current bands at the time. I called up JP to sing on the demo and bought him a bus ticket to Calgary. After that, the demo caught some steam so I realized I should probably make this a band. That’s where Dave, Chad and Toryin come in. We all go way back from crossing paths throughout the music scene. And there we have it. Traveler was born.

JP: I was rehearsing with a band in Detroit in December 2017 and Matt called me, asking if I wanted to sing on some new songs he had written. Those songs were “ Mindless Maze ”, “ Behind the Iron ”, and “ Starbreaker ”, and the rest is history!

What or who are your biggest influences? We’d love to hear the story.

MATT: I’m just a Maiden dork all the way through. Hearing Powerslave for the first time changed my life forever. But other notable influences would definitely be Riot, Judas Priest, Crimson Glory, Vio-lence. Just rippin’ good fun type bands. JP: Right now, my biggest influences are Peter Hammill, Steve Hogarth and Kate Bush and I’m maybe getting old enough to where it’ll stay that way, haha.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person or people who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to get where you’re at today? Can you share a story about that?

MATT: From there very beginning, it’s very much a trial and error type thing. You have to write a lot of absolute garbage to start writing good songs. It’s kinda like a muscle. But once you get in with the right bunch of fellows (BTO) it makes that grind a lot less grueling. I’m so thankful to have my friends doing this with me. But aside from the fine folks at Cruz Del Sur, the NWOTHM channel run by Anderson was a huge help with getting our name out there. Super glad that channel exists. Rules. JP: The bass player of my old band Borrowed Time, Dennis, gave me the best advice and told me the tough words when needed. I always used those lessons, even though we had a falling out with the band. However, recently we reunited jamming covers on YouTube which was a lot of fun!

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that has occurred to your band? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?

MATT: There’s so many with my previous bands. But my favorite Traveler one so far would be Toryin slipping flat on his back on stage mid solo in Edmonton. Toryin goes pretty wild on stage and some guys spilled beer all over the stage from the front row. Toryin was running around and did a classic comic book banana peel slip flat on his back. It looked pretty rough. But he did some crazy Bruce Lee ninja flip back up on his feet and just kept shredding. We were dying laughing. Was tough to get through that set without cracking up. I guess the lesson learned is watch out for beer bananas. JP: We got lost taking a wrong turn to the Keep It True hotel. This is uniquely funny mistake because I had been there twice before, yet still was dumb enough to get lost! We were ready to sleep in a field but found the place in time. That was the mistake, then afterward we jammed the entire set acoustically in the hotel room at like midnight haha!

The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to younger bands who aspire to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?

MATT: There’s so many different ways to make a mistake. And it’s very very easy to fuck it all up. I guess the biggest one I can suggest would be communication. Let everyone know, the rest of the band, the label, the tour manager, everyone that’s there to help you along the way. Let them all know what the plans are and what you would like to accomplish. One major miscommunication can cause a whole lot of problems that didn’t need to happen. Save yourself that headache. JP: Don’t believe anybody but your family and if you can’t believe them, believe you. They all want something, know that your work is valuable, it all starts with you.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

MATT: At this time I’m not allowed to say some of the cool things Traveler has coming this year. But you’ll see us appear on a couple different releases which we’re all super stoked on. That and writing the new album. It’s tricky with COVID since we’re split between 3 different cities. But we’ve been very productive. JP: I have a new project with a Swedish musician that is yet unrevealed! Working on the songs now…Arcane Metal Maniacs will be pleased! Also, working on another record with a super heavy guitar player from Michigan, dark true metal with grit and no holding back. And, of course, we have the third TRAVELER album, which we’ve actually done quite a bit of work on so far!

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview.  Can you briefly tell our readers a bit about why you are a part of the heavy metal community?

MATT: You can pretty much blame Powerslave for that. There was no turning back after that. JP: It felt like a compulsion, something that called, always felt like something to graduate from more childish things like games and comics, to play music and write your own stories. And you meet so many people with different special qualities and the number of great records to hunt is endless!

For the benefit of our readers, can you help to define what the heavy metal community is?

MATT: I guess if you watch Iron Maiden’s performance of “ Fear Of The Dark ” on Rock In Rio that pretty much sums it up right there. JP: Music fans who love screaming guitars, wailing vocals and a factory like rhythm section

How is the heavy metal community different from other communities?

MATT: I don’t think the heavy metal community is much different from a lot of genres to be honest. There are diehards in every scene. Even in the pop music scene. Ever seen girls ripping their hair out screaming and crying for the Backstreet Boys? Fucking diehards, man haha. We’re just in our own bubble. So, it’s easy to think we’re special. JP: Very nationally unified, as it’s a common ground for so many people from so many countries!

Can you help explain a few reasons why the heavy metal community is so important? Can you share a story or give some examples?

MATT: I’ve just always appreciated the support. There’s so much love for the underground. And it’s grown so much even over the last 10 years. It’s amazing to see. It feels like underground bands like us have a chance at going the distance. JP: I feel like I’ve gone all over the world, seeing and playing shows, and the core diehards are always there. If you go enough it becomes a joyous reunion! This dedication to music should not be discounted, it keeps the blood warm into old age, the milestones have meaning.

Would either of you feel comfortable sharing a story or anecdote about how being a part of the heavy metal community has helped you in your life? We would love to hear about it.

MATT: I guess my favorite memory so far would be Keep It True. Or even our first show in Germany the year before. We were brand new out of the box band at that point. And to see that many people sing along to our songs on the other side of the world felt really cool. That was super reassuring that I was on the right path and to keep at it. JP: I was down and out after my one band fell apart but I never stopped, because talking to so many people in the metal community made it so I had tours and gigs through 2014 and 2015 even though I had no band! Very important for my development those years and it was because of the help of those in the community.

Ok. Wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you recommend five things that anyone can do to help grow and strengthen the metal community? Please share a story or example for each.

MATT:  

• Support. Buy the merch. Buy the albums. And if you can’t afford it, steal the music and share it with your friends. That’s cool too.
• Don’t be a dick. Pretty simple one there. Tone down the ego. No one cares about how many bands you like. Have fun.
• If there’s any way you can help a band or a fan. Do it. As long as you’re not being taken advantage of there’s no reason you can’t lend a hand.
• Forgive the drunks. We’ve all been way too drunk. And some people have some shit going on that you’re not aware of. And sometimes that comes out after a few cups of tea.
• Be cool. That’s it. But not too cool. Just a little cool.
• Don’t be afraid of other people 
• Don’t be afraid of new sounds 
• Don’t think you’re not being marketed to
• Don’t believe the hype 
• But don’t let that make you negative

Ok, we are nearly done. You are a band of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

MATT: I just want to work on making Canada less of a barren wasteland for shows. You have your major cities but with 10+ hour drives in between. I have some plans cooking for that. I think it’s time Canada’s show structures get a revamp. JP: Matt wants to make it easier for bands to tour Canada. I want to make it easier for anyone to travel to Canada.

What is next for your band?

MATT: Like I said earlier, we have a couple new releases coming out this year. But aside from that, we’re working on the new album. And I’m absolutely stoked on what’s being made. I think you’ll dig it! JP: ALBUM THREEEEEEEEE

How can our readers further follow you online?

Bandcamp: @travelermetal

Facebook: @travelerheavymetal

Instagram: @heavymetaltraveler

Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.

MATT: Thanks for having us! Rokkkkkkkk!

Don’t forget to check out TRAVELER’s first two albums below!

• #heavymetal
• #heavymetalmusic
• #metalcommunity
• #metalmusic
• #undergroundband

Sign-up For Your Weekly Metal Fix!

Copyright © 2024 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes

• listening party
• existing artist
• See all results

No matching results

Try a different filter or a new search keyword.

Search all Bandcamp artists, tracks, and albums

• artists PRO view site
• edit profile
• subscription subscription
• view collection
• showLinkedBands(!showLinkedBands())" data-test="linked-accounts-header">

Termination Shock

By traveler.

Digital Album Streaming + Download

Buy digital album   $12 cad  or more, send as gift  , cd - north america only compact disc (cd) + digital album.

Buy Compact Disc   $15 CAD or more  

Vinyl - north america only record/vinyl + digital album.

Buy Record/Vinyl   $25 CAD or more  

12'' vinyl- worldwide except usa / canada record/vinyl + digital album.

Buy Record/Vinyl   €16 EUR or more  

Compact disc - worldwide except usa / canada compact disc (cd) + digital album.

Buy Compact Disc   €14 EUR or more  

Traveler "termination shock" lp lmt 222 black hole vinyl *** pre order *** except usa canada record/vinyl + digital album.

Buy Record/Vinyl   €21 EUR or more  

Traveler "termination shock" lp lmt 222 infinity vinyl *** pre order *** except usa canada record/vinyl + digital album.

TRAVELER "Termination Shock" LP LMT 222 NEBULA VINYL *** PRE ORDER *** EXCEPT USA CANADA Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

Share / Embed

Traveler Calgary, Alberta

Book us at: Directly - [email protected] USA - [email protected] Worldwide - [email protected]

• Oct 6 MTS Records Oldenburg, Germany
• Oct 7 Jugend & Kulturzentrum Ska Neuenhaus Neuenhaus, Germany
• Oct 8 Le Belvédère Namur, Belgium

discography

contact / help

Contact Traveler

Streaming and Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Traveler, you may also like:

RAVENING IRON by Eternal Champion

supported by 474 fans who also own “Termination Shock”

I’m high and am playing D&D in my mind… the_funeral

Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring by Smoulder

supported by 383 fans who also own “Termination Shock”

If Elric had a soundtrack it would be this. It's everything you want from a epic metal album. Like a hot poker in the eye, but in a good way. Scott Malthouse

THE ARMOR OF IRE by Eternal Champion

supported by 381 fans who also own “Termination Shock”

Strong motif, atmospheric, yet still heavy. sirarchi

Mankind's Odyssey by Aquilla

featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 1, 2022

From Western Shores by Gatekeeper

featured on Bandcamp Radio Mar 31, 2023

Storm The Walls by Stray Gods

Dream Quest Ends by Smoulder

supported by 300 fans who also own “Termination Shock”

So I can't leave a long enough review to say everything I want. But I will say this, I love this EP. It's a great little follow up to times, and has just enough of a dynamic shift in sound to prove that Smoulder isn't a one trick pony with their first album's formula. This one really plays up the 70s prog aspects (DUST and Manilla Road influences definitely shine through even harder here). It's still Smoulder, don't get me wrong. Just a different side in some ways, all of which are good. playfulpooka

Bandcamp Daily    your guide to the world of Bandcamp

Traveler Become Their Own Heavy Metal Heroes on “Termination Shock”

The Best Metal on Bandcamp, February 2024

The Best Metal on Bandcamp: April 2020

On Bandcamp Radio

A BBE Music take over!

• terms of use
• switch to mobile view

Markus' Heavy Music Blog

My World of Music – est. 2013

Review TRAVELER ‘Prequel of Madness’

Traveler is a band with a founding date of 2017 and until the pandemic started to put a stop sign on the music industry, the guys were quite productive. The debut album was released in 2019 and the sophomore ‘Termination Shock’ followed a year later.

For obvious reasons, the band took a little longer to come up with their third release, which will hit shelves this February as Traveler finished work on ‘Prequel to Madness’, a nine-song metal treat.

What also also demanded some extra time to complete the new product were line-up changes. Traveler have a new rhythm section in place that makes its debut on the new album. Nolan Benedetti (d) and Jake Axl Wendt (b) join the metal force and provide the heartbeat of the newest effort.

Traveler pick up where they left off on the previous album. Straightforward heavy metal is what fans can expect and what they get on ‘Prequel to Madness’. After an intro called ‘Mayday’ the album starts with ‘Take the Wheel’. It is a fast and NWoBHM inspired song that captures the essence of denim and leather metal. Wild and furious is ‘The Law’, while the previous song, ‘Dark Skull’, shows the band’s ability to write anthemic metal tunes.

The epic moment of the album comes at the end. It is the seven-minute title track, which is the final highlight of the album and acts as a grande finale. Melodic vocal lines, well-done hooks and a higher tempo characterise this metal anthem. Some breaks, like the blistering solo part in the middle, are a well-placed distraction before the shredding twin guitars take over again.

‘Prequel to Madness’ is the long-awaited next step from the North American metal powerhouse. Traveler haven’t lost any of their metallic shine and their new album is a next treat for people who love traditional heavy metal.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

• Take the Wheel
• Rebels of Earth
• Heavy Hearts
• Vagrants of Time
• Prequel to Madness

Label: No Remorse Records

Genre: Heavy Metal

Release Date EU: February 23rd, 2024

AFM Records Alternative Metal Alternative Rock Black Metal CD Review Century Media Classic Rock Concert Dark Metal Death Metal Doom Metal earMUSIC Extreme Metal Frontiers Music Hardcore Hard Rock Hardrock Heavy Metal Inside Out Music Live Live Album Live Report Melodic Death Metal Melodic Metal Melodic Rock Metal Metal Blade MHMB Modern Metal News Nuclear Blast NWoBHM On Tour Power Metal Prog Metal Prog Rock Punk Rock Season Of Mist Speed Metal Symphonic Metal Thrash Metal Tour Tour Dates US Metal

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Ähnliche Beiträge

Comments are closed.

• MHMB on Facebook
• Old version of Markus' Heavy Music Blog
• WordPress.com Blog

Schlagwörter

Website Powered by WordPress.com .

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar