Although Burning Path are a relatively new band, their roots stretch back to 2012 and the Chilean crew known as Lucifer’s Hammer. After the singer of that band (Hades, R.I.P.) was senselessly murdered, bandmates decided to honour his memory by continuing as a band, only under a new moniker. An extension of their previous project, an eponymously-titled debut album has quickly come to fruition with Burning Path being both a fitting tribute to their former comrade and the start of a bold new chapter. By drawing inspiration from greats such as Grim Reaper, Diamond Head and Virgin Steele, a sound is created that suggests Burning Path have a bright future.

A good introduction can really set the scene, like a prologue in a book or the opening shot in a movie, it can offer a tantalising taste of what’s to come and that’s exactly what ‘The Imminent Passage Of Time’ does. Sixty-six seconds of immense beauty, it’s an ethereal, heavenly instrumental that’s full of guitars that soar towards the sky and it certainly spikes our interest for what’s to come. And what does follow is ‘Chasing The Future’ a heavy song that is made all the more weighty by dint of the otherworldly introduction; like a splash of cold water to a sleepy face it arrives suddenly, and is all the more powerful for it. It’s a track that will appeal to metalheads of varying persuasions; it captures that magic moment in time (say, 1982) when the NWOBHM was morphing into thrash and will have you reaching for your air guitar and starting a pit in the living room. It will also adhere itself to those with a penchant for trad metal, whilst the band’s fondness for melody and song structure means ‘Chasing The Future’ (and indeed, the whole album) will attract hardier souls from the AOR scene. In short, Burning Path has an effortless crossover appeal that covers a vast spectrum of heaviness and should shoehorn them into new musical territory.

With no song (aside from the introduction) being under four minutes in length (and only two sub five), the tracks comprising Burning Path tend to veer towards the epic, yet they never feel forced or unnecessarily elongated. That’s primarily due to the flow of the album; no two songs inhabit the same sonic space with the contemplative ‘The God Who Dwells In The Sword’ nestling next to the frenetic ‘A Step Far Beyond’ quite effortlessly. Burning Path bring all their experience to atmospheric closer ‘The Darkness That Will Last’, a song of many suites that pulls all the various strands of the album into a collective whole, ensuring that the band depart on a high (which is exactly as they arrived).

Burning Path haven’t torn up their roots or disowned the past and fans of Lucifer’s Hammer will find much to admire here, Burning Path represents the start of a new chapter, a new road to follow, we don’t know where it will lead but wherever it takes Burning Path, it’s sure to be interesting.

• Burning Path is released via Dying Victims Productions on 27th February 2026.

Track List:

1. The Imminent Passage Of Time
2. Chasing The Future
3. Another Day
4. Take Me High
5. The God Who Dwells In The Sword
6. A Step Far Beyond
7. When Darkness Falls
8. The Darkness That Will Last