It's always a pleasure to see a band make significant improvements in their craft and that's exactly what Spain's Whirlwind has done with their second album, 1640. They play the same style of speedy, melodic heavy metal but the songwriting is miles better with catchy hooks as far as the ear can hear. Whether it is the fist-pumping "Days of Doom" and "Winds of Ash and Dust" or the epic "Marching to Victory", you'll need to warm up your air guitar, as it will be getting a workout. On the subject of guitars, the tone here is killer, sharp and crisp without sacrificing melody. No disrespect to any of the other musicians, but the guitar work on 1640 really takes center stage. The riffs go for miles and the leads are exemplary. Add in some Halford-esque wails and Accept-style shouted backing vocals and it is nigh on impossible to avoid getting swept up while 1640 is playing. I'm reminded of those early Wizard albums, like Head of the Deceiver and Odin, but you can also add early Hammerfall, Accept, Stormwarrior, Blind Guardian, etc.. You get the picture. If speedy traditional heavy metal is your thing, you need to grab a copy of 1640 as soon as you can.