There is only one thing better than Heavy Metal from the late ’80s, and that’s a band from the roaring ’20s crafting Metal that would more than grace those halcyon days of 40 years ago. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the dulcet tones of Power Surge and Shadows Warning for your delectation.
Power Surge – Shadows Warning
Release Date: 2 May 2025
Words: Steve Kenton
Formed in June 2024 by Croatian vocalist Roko Nikolic and guitarist Srdjan Bilic, Power Surge typifies what the term Heavy Metal is all about with their debut album, Shadow’s Warning.
Featuring Calvin Lever on guitar, Radek Koval on bass and Milan Jejina on drums, the gods of Metal really did smile down upon us mere mortals when they gave us this band. With nine tracks of exquisitely produced music, this is one of the best debut albums that has graced my sensitive eardrums for many a year.
Straight out of the traps comes the title track, Shadows Warning and here is a warning of my own: It’s bloody catchy. With powerful vocals and some excellent guitar work, this is one of those songs that is really difficult to get out of your head once you hear it.
However, this is just a precursor for bigger and better things as A Dream Into A Nightmare follows. This little ditty is an absolute monster, with its urgent intro, soaring vocals, chunky, almost choppy rhythm and solid, powerful bassline. And the drums. Did I mention the drums? The double-kick sections are something to behold. This is proper, good old-fashioned head-banging in the mosh-pit fayre.
Breathe New Life enters the fray like a heavyweight boxer about to throw his weight around. The initial fret-work floats like a butterfly briefly before Bilic and Lever ramp it up and sting like a bee with a series of breakneck jabs from their axes of aural delight.
As for those drums – it’s 15 rounds of Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed, the skins take an absolute battering of epic proportion. You have to take your hat off to bass player Radek Koval, who does a great job driving this track along with the drums. That is certainly no mean feat. Finally, the vocals are a powerful and compelling joy to listen to. This is one hell of song and certainly one of my favourites.
With The Dawning is next up. The lyrics are the real stand-out and not a single word is out of place. With the heavy guitars giving the song quite a dense, dark and brooding feel to it, you almost get a sense of foreboding with this track.
Following on comes No Turning Back, which has a Metallica-esque feel to it. It’s fast, really fast. It has an energy to it that is aggressive like an angry pit bull latching onto you like you’re its lunch. Srdjan Bilic and Calvin Lever light up this track with weapons-grade guitar work.
Calm Before The Storm was the track that announced Power Surge to the world. A serene opening is followed by an explosion of a riff, which hits you like a ton of lead. The vocals are superb and yet again, the rhythm section is as solid as an aged oak. This was the first single from the album, and it really is a great introduction to the band.
The next song threw me somewhat, as I was not expecting what blasted out of my speakers. Carry On is actually a cover of a 1984 Warriors track, a group who hail from former Yugoslavia. Musically, it is a fantastic track, with some top-quality fret-work that really hits the spot.
However, it’s the vocals which knock you off-balance as Roko is joined by Claymorean vocalist Dejana Betsa Garčević, and it just works really well. The contrast between the two vocalists accentuates what is an epic lyrical journey. Despite this being a cover, Power Surge have really taken ownership of this song.
Last Man Standing has big shoes to fill in following on from Carry On but, it manages to hold its own with aplomb. The bassline carries this song beautifully, blending in with the luscious guitar tones and of course, those kick-arse drums.
This track takes you to very different places, with the peaks of the ambitious yet thoughtful guitar work, climbing and ascending like a seasoned mountaineer, with every note played perfectly. It then descends into a melodic atmospheric trough, quieter, almost melancholic. Then BANG…..galloping rhythms coming at you like the light brigade charging at you full pelt, with sabres drawn.
As for the vocals, this is wide-angled sonics of the highest order. Yet again peaks emanate from Roko’s vocal chords – uplifting and glorious.
The final track on the album, Burnout, is a scorcher. From the go-get, this track is like my old Jaguar XK 4.2. It does not hang about. Fast and furious does not even begin to describe the opening. Bilic and Lever’s fingers tear up the fretboard like greased lightning with incendiary soloing and bone-crushing chords.
As for the drums, it’s that double-kick pedal again, slamming into the bass drum like an over-sensitive trip-hammer. Radek Koval’s bass thunders along like a bullet train, purposeful, heavy, unstoppable. Yet again the vocals are compelling and urgent. With a cracking chorus and the primal screams of “burnout” throughout the song, this number has fan favourite stamped all over it.
Power Surge have done something which is rather rare in the music industry – they have delivered a faultless debut album. Every track is top-notch, all killer, no filler.
Shadow’s Warning is a highly intricate and complicated album. The musicianship exceeds expectations – and make no mistake, these guys are highly accomplished musicians.
How on earth they are going to follow this album is a complete mystery to me. With the bar set this high, the guys are going to have to come up with something even more spectacular to top this.
Power Surge release Shadows Warning today via FHM Records and is available from here.
