The times when you rummaged in the record shop and bought albums just because of their cover artwork are largely over. This is unfortunate for the heavy/speed metal outfit Olymp, because I’m sure their recently released, self-titled debut full-length would have persuaded a lot of people from a visual point of view. What appeals to me is the naivety, which promptly takes me back to the early days of our music, when DIY and individuality were the rule and not the exception.

Luckily, the visuals also match the music. The four guys from Augsburg don’t reinvent the wheel, but they show in just under 39 minutes that they know exactly how sparkling, classic metal must sound in 2023. You can feel in every second that here is a band in the studio that knows the history of our genre inside out and is doing their contribution to keep it alive. Luckily, the enormous joy of playing goes hand in hand with consistently convincing, traditional songwriting, in which masterpieces of many old heroes shine through. Some guitar melodies hark back to the best days of the NWOBHM, but it’s obvious that Olymp have also picked up a note or two of Rock’n’Rolf. Not least the lyrical focus, Greek mythology – the band name suggests it – and the somewhat quirky vocals provide their own touch.

In short: Olymp are unquestionably an enrichment for the classic underground and deserve to be booked for the appropriate scene festivals. I am sure that every visitor will have a lot of fun with the quartet. Furthermore, it should be said that especially in these completely insane times, in which humanity is once again showing its most disgusting side, music like this is particularly therapeutic…

Olymp on Bandcamp: Click here.