Steel Assassin – War of the Eight Saints

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9.0

• Band:
  Steel Assassin
• Duration: 01:04:09
• Available from: 12/09/2007
• Label:

• Sentinel Steel

The first years of the new millennium are years of rebirth for all classic metal. If already at sunset of the twentieth century the wind was changing, especially thanks to the wave of melodic power metal, in the 2000s they re -emerge instrumental trends buried by the sands of the time. And this is how unthinkable artistic rebirths take place, reunion of more or less big names of the 80s, minor festivals emerge that will indelibly mark that metal season. Something will survive in the years to come, something will touch, some albums released at that time will leave their mark, others just a nice and carefree moment in the mind of those who listened to them.
Also in our country, thanks to some devoted fans, we witness attempts to give relevance and momentum to underground moods, through events that can highlight as far as good is happening in the scene. Unfortunately only a few years, but offering before his disappearance a handful of editions with line-ups to make the wrists tremble, at the best of the best Northeurous Happenings on the topic, the Play It Loud Brescia was able to welcome Italian bands that we would never have thought of being able to admire live.
Among these, a proud and charismatic performance of the Steel Assassin remained in the heart at the 2008 edition, when the group had recently been reformed and had been the first month for a few months his first real album “War of the Eight Saint”. Released for the small American record company Sentinel Steel, that Full-Langth did not receive the acceptance he would have deserved, also accomplices even not so mature times-despite the speech made above-in order to be able to launch the classic metal veined of the formation of the Massachusetts properly. Despite, at now seventeen years since its release, the album has not lost anything about its belligerent, heroic charm.
Since the earthquake, Forsennata Opener “Hawkwood”, it is perceived which delicate, perfect balance, keeps together the sound-steel assassin: a mixture of power and epic metal, played with a cleaning method, incessant rhythmic push, flickering melodies and lightning, expressive solos. A concentrate of class and energy, on which the vocality of John Falzone, more street and proletarian of the legendary John Bush stands out. A dirty and less extensive voice than that of the Armored Saint singer, however the same in being proudly being Heavy Metal, powerful, proud and capable of being unleashed and exaltation alone.
“Curse of the black prince” continues on the same lines, exasperating a pleasant speed metal component, a creeping brutality, some hysterical accent typical of the genre, manna from heaven in a context so ardently metallic. The refrains are another formidable strength of a belligerent album, written in a state of metal bliss and inspiration as it happens only once in the life of a band, at least of the 'normal' ones. Falzone's metric leaves no breath, a cross attack without large pauses, although instrumentally the other members are applause and the guitar interactions are among the best heard in that historical period.
Even by opening the rhythms a little, taking relatively on less spasmodic rhythms, the Steel Assassin travels safe and in full control – “Hill of Crossees”, the cadenced “Sword in the Stone” – released talent with full hands anything touch, at least if we limit our feeling at “War of the Eight Saint”. In the most barbaric and wild hymns, the five, however, rise further level, playing as a miraculous intersection of Omen, Agent Steel and Jag Panzer, as in the sensational “Merchants of Force”, in “Tartarus” and “Barabbas”. The album exudes history, mythology, epic, strong of a passion that you have to have it really inside, you cannot pretend to own it.
Not immune to finesse, to knowing how to play more aware and enveloping, the Steel Assassin prove to be sufficiently elastic composers, despite the gender boundaries: here are the vaguely oriental arabesques of the in any case not recommended “Bloodlust Quest” – on the other hand, with that title … – and of the tormented, long titletrack placed in closing.
The truly incredible thing about “War of the Eight Saints” is that it was swallowed by the guns of the underground quick enough, despite the fact that for a few years the formation has remained active and has published a good second album like “WWII: Metal of Honor” in 2012. Too bad that from there onwards the tracks are lost and there is no more news on the group and its components for a long time. A sign in the history of Heavy Metal this American reality has left it and it is worth going to rediscover it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BPXXDQDPYO