The Asteroid Bullet Belt

Ascending to the pantheon. (Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on February 7th 2024)  When it comes to heavy/power metal, I am always looking for something that manifests what is commonly referred to as “big dick energy”. It needs to have a certain something that I find on the harder-edged works of bands like Manilla Road and Visigoth, to name a few. I don’t actively hunt for stuff like that, seeing as it’s not my go-to genre, but when a release like that falls on my lap I end up getting hooked on it for days on end. Such is the case with Steel Arctus’ sophomore release, Master of War , whose comic book aesthetic made for quite the enticing first impression, and unsurprisingly encapsulated the music therein. The trio presents us with 8 stomping heavy metal anthems, replete with thundering double bass, crunchy riffing, and gruff vocals that aren’t afraid to soar every once in a while. It’s distilled classic heavy metal essence, and it’s unwavering in its cons...

Boy, these coils sure are tight. (Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on January 25th 2024.)  While the waves of revivalism have been running strong throughout the metal underground for more than a decade now, bands in the traditional metal niche have always been a bit more committed. There’s something admirable about their stubborn adherence to the 80s sounds on just about every level, to the point where sometimes you forget they formed after the 80s. Among those bands, and a personal favourite of mine is Ironsword, who despite being around since the mid-90s only hit their stride after the turn of the century. Despite being five full-lengths deep into their career, they aren’t particularly keen on releasing EPs of any kind, so seeing In the Coils of Set piqued my curiosity quite a bit. While I did originally dismiss it as pointless due to it containing a song that appeared on their (at the time of writing) latest release, it turns out that there’s more than...

I was promised sea monsters on the cover. (Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on March 29th 2022)  There’s something really nice about bands evolving. It doesn’t have to be a radical shift in tone from one project to the next necessarily, but seeing an artist mature and grow in different directions, progressively expanding or changing their sound is always a treat. It’s for this reason that I’ve enjoyed following Ironflame over the past few years. Their transition from classic era Maiden worship towards high-energy, fist-pumping tunes has been quite the treat to observe, and Where Madness Dwells is yet another step in that direction, a successful one at that. Following 2020’s Blood Red Victory , the band has decided to further up the ante in terms of intensity, with more than a few songs here veering off into power/thrash territory. It’s something that was hinted at with some of the more upbeat moments of the previous record, but this newfound aspect of Ir...

March of the Heavy Metal crusaders. (Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on March 29th 2022)  Truth be told, it took me a while to understand that there was more to power metal than the stuff that’s on the surface, which is genuinely some of the worst the genre has to offer. From 2019 onward though, I’ve come across genuinely good bands, which have provided me with a great deal of fun. Ironflame is one of them, whom I found thanks to the topic of this review, Blood Red Victory . It’s the album that made me go “Hey, maybe power metal is not that bad after all”, and motivated me to look into the genre more. For the band’s third full-length, Andrew D’Cagna provides us with a collection of quality power metal tunes, leading to an anthemic 40 (50 if you count the bonus tracks) minutes. From absolute scorchers like “Gates of Evermore”, which inaugurates the album, to more dramatic mid-tempo cuts like “Night Queen”, the album’s filled with songwriting that doesn’t...

The Great War and the Not-So-Great album. (Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on March 12th 2022) You know, I always try giving things a second chance. Whether it’s food, video games, or in this case, music, I think revisiting something with a different mindset at a later time might help you find something you enjoy in something which didn’t inspire you originally. Such is my case with the topic of today’s review, Sabaton. I had originally acquainted myself with the band back in 2019 with the release of The Great War after a friend of mine had recommended the album to me. I was never particularly into the band (or EUPM for that matter) but I decided to take his word for it and give them a shot. I ended up being indifferent to the album, but when The War to End All Wars was announced, I couldn’t help myself and give it a listen. Maybe, just maybe, things would be different and I’d finally be able to see what everyone else sees in Sabaton’s music. Nope, turns ...