Wings of Death - Italian Power Metal and the Origins of Necro Baby

It was a chilly fall evening when Vecton the Bard and Birdblood the Tyrant arrived on the doorstep of Jenkabala Temple. Bloodmace had taken the sand skiff across the Time Desert with his crew of plundering pirates, gathering tales of conquest from the far flung outposts of civilization in the primitive wilderness. Togther with Iron Dan we set our sights on Italy and it's power metal scene. As a survey, we listened to the sampler "HeavyMetal Eruption: The Italian Way of Heavy Metal" There, our group found a garden of unique pronunciation and galloping NWOBHM worship that pleased our ears with its jovial familiarity, but soon it was time for the real challenge. Iron Dan, cackling like a madman, grabs a club and begins smashing everything in sight, screaming, "On with the games of war! Hahahahaha!" Vecton the Bard, passions inflamed by the thundergods lets out an animalistic howl and begins tearing the floor to shreds as claws grow out from the hands at the end of his long, whip-like arms while Birdblood calls the hell dogs of Phobos to nip at our toes. The situation had reached the point of no return, so in the chaos of flame and whiskey I call out to the Neapolitan gods of heavy metal to sate the bloodlust of my guests and the music began.

Gunfire is a band I had never heard of before tonight, but their style was extremely appealing to me for it's great speed metal sound. The drums often veer straight into thrash territory, while the guitar blazes away in a more traditional heavy metal/hard rock mode, very much like what Helloween and Savage Grace were doing right around the same time. While not as inventive as those two juggernauts musically, Gunfire manages to deliver the goods with a cheeky swagger to their riffs and some nice vocal harmonies. Birdblood chose this as her pick for album of the night.

 Lives of the Noble Centonians Part 4.1 - Wings of Death

Nowadays every child on Centon knows the legend of Necro Baby, but that was not always the case. Long before she burst into the popular imagination as the ghostly tyrant of the east, this evil infant was Gorfun, elder of the nomadic necromancers who stalk the plains of Meggorah in eastern Centon. For thousands of years these wanderers have served the ruling houses of the timepiece world, acting as their magical hit squad, dealing death to those who would oppose the will of leaders both tyrannical and benevolent. Indeed, even those kingdoms who pride themselves on providing freedom for their inhabitants have, from time to time, seen fit to eliminate those who would destroy their empires from without and within. It was in the second age of Centon that Gorfun came to power. He was the child of the Necro tribe's most feared warriors, Chigoth and Samnor, but spent much of his youth wandering lost and orphaned in the Meggorian plain when his parents were defeated by

Parthon the Elder. The Samurian mystic had run afoul of the Wyvern elders and was to be executed, but his powers were too strong for even the legion of ghouls the couple called up for the assault and he incinerated his attackers in a gust of rage. Knowing what would happen to him, Parthon then fled to the north, across the Kradacian Socrat and into the so-called "half spirit" world of Narn, leaving his young son in the care of the Samurian Elders at Lake Chawa. Meanwhile, Gorfun was learning to survive in the harsh, cold plains, where icy winds swept bitterly over the monochromatic landscape in the winter and the sun beat down mercilessly in the summer, unleashing a roving inferno that would sweep through the dry grasslands for months. He was seeking cover from one of these blazes when the young loner stumbled into the newly formed Time Desert. He was running from the flames and the unbearable heat on his back told Gorfun he was about to be engulfed in the fire when suddenly, the blistering sear ceased. Sandal clad feet stumbled on the unexpectedly soft ground and the youth tumbled to his knees. When he regained himself after a moment, the baby faced plainsmen beheld a line of smoldering karci grass that stretched out as far as he could see in front of him and behind him only gleaming aqua sand that swirled in the hot breeze. Wonderment had barely passed from his countenance when another shocking event took place. The dune closest to him began to tremble and slide, revealing a frightful toad that dwarfed the frightened magician. In a voice so low that it was barely audible, the creature addressed him, "Gorfun, child of the savage plains, sorrow is your path. You will be knighted by the wilderness and crowned by the dead, for the Necro tribe is destined to rule over all Centon." Large, wet eyes, black as a starless night, transfix the nomadic adolescent and the croaking voice of the amphibian continues, "Your path will be split, but the way is one. First six, then five, then one. Remember the north, remember the cold." When Gorfun blinked his eyes, the apperition was gone, but at his feet sat a denim vest, embroidered with the patches of the sacred black metal bands of earth. The youngster picked up the garment and walked solemnly into the smoking grass, and the history of Centon was forever changed.

We next jumped forward fifteen years to 1999 to hear Tales From the North, White Skull's third full length. At this point in the 90's power metal was a well established genre of its own, massively popular in Europe, so it comes as no surprise that what comes out of the speakers owes much to the classic German "happy metal" sound. Choral gang vocals, bouncy rhythms and major key progressions are are the meat and potatoes of these kind of bands and the elements are all in play here. This is the kind of jam that you get it or you don 't and I, for one dig it. This is the album I voted for.

Lives of the Noble Centonians Part 4.2 - The Killing Queen

In the following years, Gorfun waged a secret campagin of fear, first in the sleepy western coastal villages, witch fell quickly to the necromancer's hordes. He then sent his agents to the east where they discovered a new power in the ancient land. Demon Scourge and Bloodmace, sons of Bloodhammer, were the ascendent princes in this province and expertly repelled the supernatural creatures that issued fourth from the west. Meanwhile, Gorfun had forged a treaty with the Wyvern elders and a mysterious, powerful outer dimensional force called Headron to conquer the whole of Centon and divide it's real estate and great natural resources between them. To this end, Headron possessed the body of Zodron the Minstrel and made an attempt on the lives of the brave metal warriors. This attack, however only succeed in enraging the pair, who immediately set out on a quest to destroy the faceless king. Gorfun was beside himself with anger and was slipping through Samur to mount an offensive on Jenkabala when he was confronted by Parthon the Younger, who was about to become Iron Dan in the wilds of that mystical realm, and Vecton the Bard. A fierce battle ensued and even the combined might of the occult heavyweights could not best the power of the denim vestment. Just

when it seemed that all was lost, however, Iron Dan used his psychophysiological powers to separate the insane ruler from the legendary jacket by fusing it with some of his own genetic material. It was thought that Gorfun died in the ensuing conflagration, but for many years rumors circulated in the villages of two ghosts who would appear in the wilderness as children. A small boy bearing the old fashioned earthen name of James and his sister, Necro Baby, an evil looking creature with the most vile and feared symbols tattooed upon the flesh of her head. What was thought to be just idle talk came to be confirmed in a terrifying way when the heroes of Centon were wiped out at Castle Thrashstone, for in those dark times a new master took possession of Jenkabala Castle. Necro Baby was truly the worst of the worst and Headron put her in the throne as a final insult to the fallen warriors and a challenge to Iron Dan, for he knew that the weird infant was indeed what was left of Gorfun, emperor of the plainsmen. When he was defeated by the Samurian prince, the necromancer's body turned into that of a fearsome baby whose power was seemingly unending. The denim vest had fused with Iron Dan's DNA and created Iron James. Necro Baby held this other being in thrall with her tremendous otherworldly powers and forced it to commit the most sordid atrocities against the people of Jenkabala and Samur. When Bloodmace and Demon Scourge, togther with Rangar, Lars the Berserker and Vecton the Bard finally were able to take back Jenkabala and end their reign the pair slipped off, but Centon is about to hear from them again...

Going in to Derdian's TheNew Era Part 3, the decision was split, but we were about to discover that our opinions mattered not, for as the sixteenth note riffing and midi orchestra frenzy of these more recent power metal contenders engulfed the temple in a vortex of fantasy, Vecton the Bard took wing, sailing up above the courtyard then descending to the stone balustrade of the balcony in front of us. In an imperious baritone, he addresses us, "The mighty Bloodmace has left me to the judgement of this affair and you will now know that Derdian are the winners of this metal night! So it is with the ring of power that I call to the spirit of the mace to give us strength!" He thrusts his long arm into the air and the ring begins to glow. From the melodic anthems that fill the air a strange sound grows in volume and with a great white flash, the head of Bloodmace appears in the sky. With a booming voice, cracking and rumbling like thunder the giant head pronounces, "So mote it be, protector of the Crystal Canyon" When the smoke cleared, Iron Dan, Vecton and Birdblood quietly filed out from the great stone fortress and into the chilly fall night. We had survived one dangerous night without our resident barbarian, but what will happen next week? Will my speed metal obsession go unchecked? Will Vecton force us to listen to more Final Fantasy metal? Welcome to hell motherfuckers, welcome to hell...

Words of the Elders

Brothers and Sisters of metal, beware! Necro Baby is no myth. This tiny terror might find you in your nightmares or your waking life, but you can be sure she is always lurking in the darkness. As much tragedy as the first reign of Necro Baby brought, her new campaign may extinguish the Centonian heroes once and for all, but have heart brave warriors, there is a rumbling in the forest.

Until next week Uncanny Embryos,

Horns