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I first ran across Canada's Traveler courtesy of their split with Finland's Coronary last year and I recall thinking they were an OK traditional metal band but, now that I have their debut album, I realize there was more than met the ear. All the songs from the split are here so you get the awesomely speedy "Starbreaker", the Maiden-esque "Behind the Iron" and the epic "Mindless Maze" but you also get more tasty riffs on "Up to You", "Street Machine" and closer "Speed Queen". I thought most of Judas Priest when listening to the split but now I hear a lot more US and Canadian metal influences from the '80s like Omen, Malice and Exciter. You get everything from mid-paced anthems to proto-thrash. You cannot go wrong with twin guitars, a galloping bass and semi-gritty clean vocals as long as you have the songs and Traveler is loaded with them. This is the kind of metal that does well in a recorded format but begs to be heard live and with fists held high.