I can sum up this concert up in 3 sentences:
- This show was 10 times better than any Iron Maiden concert.
- It featured to best Stage Left guitarist on the planet.
- The bassist ripped some of the finest leads you’ll hear.
Of course the above comments about the show were a concoction of guitarist Tim Brown & bassist William Wallace as they asked what I thought about their set. Although they were hamming it up, their comments weren’t far from the truth. While William is one hell of a bassist you probably figured the ripping leads were a little far-fetched; but he wasn’t far off. What cannot be denied is the power of their stage show. They, along with Dan Cleary (vocals), Adam Brown (drums) and touring guitarist John Simon Fallon (of The Order of Chaos) know how to work the crowd and deliver a crushing set.
Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Striker have carved their niche by delivering a fast, hard charging dose of modern metal that pulls from the NWOBH mixed in with the essence of speed metal. Offering up plenty of blistering riffs & solos combined with soaring vocals is what you get with every song in their catalog. Cleary’s range is reminiscent of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) in both range and delivery yet he harnesses a vocal firepower that can’t be matched. By the way, they do a smoking cover of Maiden’s “Two Minutes To Midnight” featured as a bonus track on their City of Gold album. (Personally I think it’s better than the original).