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I found Mace 'n' Chain's demo, Upon the Anvil Formed, while rooting around on a Bandcamp Friday and was not the least bit surprised to see them (actually one guy, David Nilsson) get scooped up by No Remorse Records for their debut album, Among Ancient Pillars. They play a high-octane style of epic metal, so think Megaton Sword, Legendry, Gatekeeper, etc., but shifted into overdrive on a lot of songs. Both tracks from the demo ("Labyrinthian Black" and "Upon the Anvil Formed") made it on to the album and it was wise to put those out there first as they are among the better songs on Among Ancient Pillars, but the whole album is solid with some nice guitar work and a good dose atmosphere. As for Nilsson's vocals, I'm torn. His voice is clear and strong, but his delivery is depthless and not very charismatic. Having said that, they don't really detract from the songs in any meaningful way and are actually kind of unique, which should help Mace 'n' Chain establish themselves in a field that is rapidly getting crowded. This is one that fans of the current epic metal wave will want to investigate.