Cauldron

Tomorrow’s Lost (Century Media/Earache)
By Mike Delano

Cauldron concocts a frothing stew of traditional metal on its third full-length, Tomorrow’s Lost. What’s most striking is how comfortable the band seems in its early ’80s NWOBHM skin – the band’s Angel Witch-inspired vibe doesn’t sound forced or retro, just perfectly natural and seemingly effortless. Like a lot of new bands that hearken back to that golden age of metal, Cauldron has pretty much stripped out the punk roots that informed much of that style (as seen on the Di’Anno-era Maiden albums). Instead, elements of late ’80s hair metal creep in on Tomorrow’s Lost, from the overall clean production to the guitar solo flair (“Summoned To Succumb,” “Endless Ways”), and that just adds to the album’s assured, welcoming feel. This is a “true” metal album through and through – think more late-period Priest than Out Of The Cellar – so the default state is head-down, all-business longhair-pleasers like “Relentless Temptress” and the galloping title track. Fans of Wolf or 3 Inches of Blood should be throwing on their denim and heading out to Strawberries, er, Best Buy, and plunking down some cash.
(www.centurymedia.com)