Texan band Valkyrie embrace their roots of old school 1980s thrash combined with modern metal elements in a fast and frenetic sound they describe as “heavy, aggressive and technical.”
The San Antonio band first started back in the mid-1980s when vocalist Joe Gregory teamed up with guitarist Scott Stine. They released a cult classic demo in 1985 and toured across Texas for a few years before Joe went back to school and stopped making music. Scott continued making music with a solo album and playing in bands like Haji’s Kitchen and Crimeny. Joe rediscovered his love for making music in 2018, contacted Scott, they released a return EP Choosers of the Slain a year later and began gigging again. Covid soon hit to bring momentum to a halt, but they recruited Matt Thompson, the drummer for Danish metal legend King Diamond, and got back to gigging and released two more singles.
On the sound they’ve crafted, Joe told us: “Well, Scott and Matt are virtuosos on their instruments so the music will be heavy, fast and extremely technical. I merely scream and yell like an angry peacock over the music, but it works!”
Our latest taste of this is The Beast Within, which was released in June. It opens up with a fun stabbing riff and lively drums that drop into chunky guitars and return alongside Joe’s impressive vocals. The guitars build alongside a wild chorus of “He seizes me, I can’t break free, He drags me deep into the sea, I can’t breathe, I can’t see, I will die, If I don’t get away.” The chugging riff returns alongside the vivid verse lines “His decrepit breath, It reeks of death, He tears at my flesh, He tears at my soul,” and feeds into another chorus. Floating high-pitched guitars kick in and continue under a cool guitar solo that builds to a wild conclusion. Stabbing guitars come in and tee up a final blast of the chorus, and the track concludes with chugging guitars and rolling drums.
On the track, Joe told us: “It’s been great so far! People are liking the thrash influences with a modern twist.”
That follows on from previous single Heavy Is My Crown, which features delicious fast-paced thrashy guitars, a big piercing guitar solo and Joe’s intense vocals and you can check it out in the stream below. And there’s plenty more where that came from on the return EP, which includes great tracks like Choosers of the Slain, Reign of Violence and Nightmare, as well as Valkyrie, which opens up with a sample of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.
The Valkyrie sound, unsurprisingly, draws influence from thrash and metal legends, including the likes of Joe’s “holy trinity” Geoff Tate, Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio. And on what inspires them to write music, Joe explains: Books, movies, stories etc… Each song is about a different topic. For example, Beast is about battling crippling anxiety, but it’s also about fighting a sea monster as well. Metaphors, right?!”
The reception Valkyrie have received for their music has given the band inspiration to start working on a full album. They already have eight tracks written and recorded, they just need to get them mixed, mastered and produced, and they have plans to play more gigs through this year and into 2026.
And Joe added: “The new songs we have recorded have elements of doom metal, progressive metal, thrash and some modern touches for good measure. Give us a listen and let us know what you think.”
You can follow Valkyrie on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
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