Oakland’s champions of old-school heavy metal War Cloud have a fittingly ferocious new single out.

The title is cool enough: “Vulture City.” Wait till you actually listen to it and behold the thundering triplets, the doom-tinged half-time verses, the Valhalla guitar heroics, the tasteful double-bass drum bursts. Akin to Thin Lizzy at their most supercharged, the track slays with vicious velocity and explosive riffs, a sonic fireball that’ll burn through your headphones and possibly short-circuit whatever device you may be using to listen to it.

You can catch the band live in San Francisco at the end of the month. It would be wise to bring earplugs to that one.

Wild Eyes, GraveDodger, War Cloud
Thee Parkside
April 30, 2016
9pm, $8 (21+)