Year 2001. Since Heavy Metal's Big Bang back in the early 70's, a lot of bands were formed. Some managed to become really well known to the metalheads around the world and some didn't become that famous. One of the bands that isn't really that known to the public is Steel Prophet. Some of you may know them and some might not. The band of Steve kachinsky was initially formed in the early 80's under the moniker Hard Prophet. As the years went by, Steve changed the band's name into Steel Prophet and released a demo called Inner Ascendance in 1990 which indicated the great potential of the band. The band released six albums during the 90's and one in the year 2000.
Book of The Dead is their new album, which hoppingly for the band will make some people (who ignored them) take a better look at their work. It's a dynamic heavy-power Metal album with twelve tracks spinning around ancient Egypt's atmospherical theme (as most of you know, Book of the Dead was like a bible in ancient Egypt!) So the theme of the whole album is actually pretty attracting for starters! Some songs are fast (like When Six Was Nine), some are just guitar intros (like Soleares) and some are Heavy built songs (yeah! like Church of Mind). Rick Mythiasin's vocals vary in most of the songs and that's a great Plus in the album (it sort of keeps your interest). Not much to say about the guitars as Steve Kachinsky simply is a great guitar player and he's been around for almost 20 years! I'm only a bit disappointed with the sound production of the guitars since it could have been better (they seem to be a bit back in comparison to all the rest in the songs). The Bass is fine, nothing special but fine (I guess it just fills in correctly). Karl Roqvist (who's Swedish) is quite a good drummer and he keeps the basic structure well together. He's powering like hell in some songs, he goes dynamically and slow in others and generally in a few plain words he's great. Burning Into Blackness is a great song, slow and full of thoughts and anger and it's one of my favorites on this album (it's also got a kind of a Brutal vocal at a point in the song going like BURNNNNN... hehe...). Some people say that the song Escaped is like Iron Maiden's The Trooper or Hallowed be thy name, because of a particular riff in the song. Well, I think that that's bullshit! It might remind you slightly of Iron Maiden but guitar chords aren't owned by anyone! Of course sometimes some riffs remind us of other ones but hell...that's music, it's logical!
Book of The Dead is a great Power-Heavy metal album by some guys who know how to play, so don't turn your back on it. Give it shot, you'll like it (if you're not narrow minded).
P.S. My regards to one of the funniest dudes around, Rick Mythiasin! Ride On!