The Testament of the Traveler: Termination Shock Comes As No Surprise
Calgary’s Traveler came charging out of the gates with their 2019 self-titled debut album. The band firmly announced their arrival to the metal community at Germany’s Keep It True festival, treating European audiences to their traditionally brisk blend of heavy metal. The travelers from beyond are composed of retro-riff master Toryin Schadlich, guitar guru and songwriter Matt Ries, shrieking storyteller Jean-Pierre Abboud, with the rhythms being robustly rounded out by bassist Dave Arnold and drummer Chad Vallier. As of the digital release of Termination Shock on April 10th of this year, if you’re still sleeping on Traveler, it’s time to wake up.
Termination Shock has no introductory tracks nor interludes, which I can surely appreciate. I’m not here to badmouth any bands that enjoy having a four-minute build-up to the first song, but you’re the one putting that pressure on yourself! If you’re worried about the album getting too repetitive with no breaks, so to speak, fear not. Traveler carefully layers their latest celestial conquest with a hybrid of thundering, thrashy riffs and hypnotic melodies. The album is eight tracks in total, a perfect length to commence the takeover, force some heads to bang, and be back home in time for dinner.
‘Shaded Mirror’ is the opening course to our taste of Termination Shock and you’d best be careful not to choke on the truth it reveals. The soloing stands out on this album as a whole and on this song in particular with Shadlich and Ries trading turns and building from each other. Shaded Mirror fades into the title track ‘Termination Shock’, where we awaken to a setting worthy of Rod Serling in the dark of deep space, set forth by the lyrical abilities of Abboud. ‘Termination Shock’ is a blazing narrative of one lost between dimensions, with Vallier and Arnold stomping out a path through the void.
The transition point to the latter half of the album is where things get stellar, in every sense. ‘Foreverman’ and ‘Diary of A Maiden’ are the shining stars of Termination Shock. There’s an essence in these two tracks that’s reminiscent of the mighty Grim Reaper. Abboud’s shrieks will easily summon an image of Steve Grimmett in your minds-eye. Dave Arnold ‘s fingerprints are all over Foreverman, and it’s hard not to focus solely on his work. That being said, if you forced my hand, it is the seemingly effortless stirring of story-telling and galaxy-galloping riffs in ‘Diary of a Maiden’ that stands as my personal favorite song on the album, and perhaps of any release this year.
The talented hand of cover artist Dylan Barstad returns and crafts a perfect representation of Traveler’s world. Termination Shock ends after a trip through ‘Deepspace’ with ‘Terra Exodus’, a fitting farewell to those fleeing a dying planet. This release is a more than a worthy successor to the strong debut. If you enjoyed the original outing, Traveler improves on and amplifies all of your favorite aspects in Termination Shock. The riffs and melodies return in a cosmically fatal fashion. Not too long nor repetitive, this is one you can throw on and easily digest over and over again.
The album is available digitally now and available for preorder on Traveler’s Bandcamp page and at Cruz Del Sur.
Termination Shock by Traveler gets a 9/10 on the Madness Meter!
Traveler Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelerheavymetal/
Traveler Bandcamp: https://travelermetal.bandcamp.com/