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It is absolutely criminal how little notice this album got, as it was one of the finest albums released in 2006, despite how few people heard it. You would think that having Daniel Heiman on vocals would be enough to get people interested, but apparently not. This was the debut for new band Heed, formed by the former Lost Horizon frontman, and I can only hope we get another one this good.

Heed are all about heavy, groovy riffing topped off by the soaring vocals of one of the greatest singers on the planet. There's really not much more to it than that, but what more do you need? Like other singer-centric projects like Engine, the music here is melodically muted to give the vocalist maximum play. Normally I'd complain about that, as the guitars pretty much just do rhythm chunking and don't do any proper riffing at all. But we didn't come to hear twin-ax harmonies, we came to hear Heiman wail, and wail he does. This is not as acrobatic as his work with Lost Horizon by any stretch, but he still powers out strong, catchy vocal lines that make these songs instantly memorable. Killers like "Last Drop Of Blood", "I'm Alive" and "Ashes" prove that Heiman can still rule without Lost Horizon, and the combination of ultra-heavy chugging with his powerful, complex melodies is distinct and addictive.

This band is currently without a label, and that's a terrible shame. We can hope they get signed and can release another Heavy Metal workout like this one. They certainly deserve it, as they are waaaaayyyy better than most of the stuff that clutters up, say AFM or LMP's release schedule. It is a crime for one of the 2 or 3 greatest singers of his generation to be without a recording contract, and that had better get fixed pronto. Hunt this down, trust me.