Roll a twenty-sided die of RAWK with Gygax!

Photo by Cliff Montgomery

Every once in a while a line from a band's PR-approved biography absolutely nails what to expect from them, and in the case of Gygax that line is, "drenched in influence from the likes of Dungeons & Dragons and Thin Lizzy." I admit I haven't dug into their lyrics enough to confirm the first half of that statement, but the fact the group is obviously named after Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax is enough for me.* And though Gygax characterizes themselves as metal, their music has plenty of heavy groove, swing and soul—along with some killer dueling guitar lines—that firmly supports the later half of that claim.

Gygax's third album, High Fantasy, is out later this June, and the band keeps things admirably tight, delivering 9 songs in just over 30 minutes. This is very much a wham-bam-thank-you-man effort that kicks you in the head from the get-go and leaves you flat on your ass by the final drum fill in the last seconds of the closing track. Through it all there's a melodic approach that makes even the heaviest moments slide down with a satiating sweetness.

Here's the only track they've released publicly thus far, but like I said I've heard the rest so you can click that li'l pre-order button in the player with the knowledge the rest is just as good.



*Since I wrote this initial draft I went back to listen more closely to the lyrics and yup, these dudes love them some swords and sorcery stuff.