Boneyard, founded in Edmonton Canada in 2015, comprise Pamtera (vocals, guitars), Dennis Cooke (bass- and rhythm-guitars), Jeff Cunningham (drums), and Grant Tarapacki (lead guitars). With collective experience in line-ups including Tyrant, Septimus, and Powerslave, this former covers-band quickly learned how to craft their own material and, in May 2019, took it to the studio. Unfortunately COVID interrupted and in August this year the result was sent to Maor (Halford, Armored Angel, Anvil) Applebaum for mastering and on 24 October 2020 “Oathbreaker” was unleashed.
The single, Fates Warning, was launched at an unsuspecting public the week before, giving us a 6’10” introduction to a band that, in full flight, sounds for all the world like a combination of Iron Maiden, China White/Norbert Lehman, Juzzy Briggs/Big Bang Theory and Randy Rhodes-era Ozzy Osbourne fronted by a mix of Nathalie (Carmilla) Astrada (when not growling), Joëlle (Jow) Nolin, and Nancy (Heart) Wilson. Something wicked this way comes, indeed!
Evil Ways, not a Santana cover, drops it back to hard-rock after the metal of opening numbers, with the China White– pace returning on track 4, Smoke the Sky.The title follows in a Whitesnake/Heart almost-ballad rocker, while they crank up the Fireballs punkabilly/straight-ahead rock in Rat Race. Monster is straight out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and goes straight into Ace Frehley’s Trouble Walkin’, with the pace returning in Born Again (my stand-out)- almost smut-rock Big Dirty style! Tune Attack has a great riff which will become their signature tune, while the album closes highly and mightily with Catch Me If You Can, a great egger for punters to hit replay!
A young band release-wise, which isn’t a bad thing: get it right first time and maintain the longevity. As their press suggests, it positions them for a focused and fiery future at the vanguard of modern hard rock and heavy metal with some serious chops on display!