Lords Of The Trident

You can’t really mock heavy metal unless you genuinely love it, and Madison’s Lords Of The Trident pit affectionate riffage against affected dorkery like they’re St. George and the dragon. Frontman Fang VonKillenstein’s impassioned falsetto screech is positively adorable compared to Bruce Dickinson’s operatic wail, the band’s first album was called Death Or Sandwich, and the bass player is a “pirate” named Captain Bluddbeard. Despite the tomfoolery, the fist-pumping intensity is there, especially in the rhythmic gallops and dueling harmonies of guitarists Asian Metal and Killius Maximus. The Lords continue to triumph with the soaring “Skyforce” off 2011’s Chains On Fire, just part of a blistering metal attack that could shave calories off the Brat Fest crowd.

Updated 05/16/2012