Founded by drummer Ty Tammeus in 2008, Florida’s Artizan crafts powerful, melodic metal in the tradition of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Savatage, and early Queensryche while retaining an original style all their own. The band name comes from the word “Artisan” defined as: skilled craftsman; creator, which describes the band perfectly. Their new album ‘Curse of the Artizan” is a huge leap forward from their self titled debut EP. The album features re-recorded versions of 3 songs from the EP (“Rise”, “Fire”, and “Game Within a Game”) plus 5 brand new tracks.

       The album kicks off with “Trade The World”, which features a very “Bruce Dickenson-esque” melodic chorus from lead vocalist Tom Braden and some nice lead guitar work from guest soloist Tony Smotherman. Braden’s voice has a very powerful mid range without going into the traditional metal upper register, but his vocals have a very pleasing quality. The production by veteran producer Jim Morris is very crisp and showcases the individual talents of each band member. The rhythm section of Tammeus and bassist John Jennings are showcased on the intro to “The Man in Black”. Tammeus’s drumming style is powerful, and he adds some progressive elements to the songs. My favorite song is the title track. The beginning has a very “Maiden” feel to it, both in the music and in the vocal phrasing without plagiarizing. Clocking in at 9 minutes and 49 seconds, the song has an epic scope to it. It starts off slow and kicks into a galloping metal onslaught and to a slower, sweeping melodic climax. Artisan joins the ranks of fellow American metallers Vicious Rumors and Jag Panzer as a band to be reckoned with. I recommend purchasing the physical CD, which includes cover art by acclaimed artist Mark Sasso (Dio, Halford). I believe that Artizan has just touched the surface of what they are capable of.  

Rating 7.5