Whirlwind are a side project of mark Wild, one of the guitarists for Körgull the Exterminator, indulging his taste for classic '80s metal. This is the second album from this outfit, but I somehow missed the debut from 2022. 1640 – named for a particularly bad year in Spanish history—is a killer workout in classic Heavy Metal. There's a lot of Running Wild in this sound, with the volleying riffs and the strong leads, but vocalist Héctor Llauradó has a strong melodic style that makes me think of Firewind or Mystic Prophecy. There's not as much distinction between the songs as there could be, and even though this is solidly good all the way through, a certain sameness creeps in when you listen to the whole thing that's just unavoidable. Still, with shredding riffs and a first-rate recording job, I don't mind the limitations so much, and neither will you.