BATTLE BORN is a 5-Piece Power Metal band from Windhelm, United Kingdom. Not to be confused with a considerable amount of bands with the same name including a Punk/Alternative Rock band and even a THE KILLERS cover band. It was a hard task to find any information on the band itself to be perfectly honest.

I may or may not be a spoiled Power Metal fan. Let's face it I was bombarded by bands and albums in the mid to late nineties. I might not have been the biggest Power Metal fan back them (my older brother was). I discovered so many bands back then and as a Metal fan since 1993, I was not keen on the style and it took me a number of years to truly appreciate some of the bands (lets be honest, not all bands are good). I may have been out of the loop a bit in the last few years in the genre. I have broadened my horizons so to speak and I do listen occasionally to some Power Metal and I do crank my stereo sometimes while listening to some of the classics I grew up with. So that may be one of the reasons why I tend not to be impressed with what is out there nowadays. Like I said, I may have been too spoiled for my own good. Well in this case, I was really surprised by the quality of the material and the musicians at hand.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, that's the case here. They are not reinventing the wheel, what they are doing is continuing the Power Metal tradition. Not a lot of Power Metal bands are able to knock me off my feet since the first two GLORYHAMMER albums in the last few years and POWERWOLF as well. Yes you can see the influences from bands like HAMMERFALL, STRATOVARIUS, RHAPSODY and whatnot but they bring it up a notch. I am not asking any band to completely reinvent the style, I want something good, you don't need to break the fourth wall to make a great impact and what counts is the quality of the product at hand.

You have to love that album cover. Straight from the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons world or even for the less familiar, the Dragonlance books I read when I was in my mid-twenties. It's pretty gnarly and does fit the mood to a T. The cover is epic et it goes with the aforementioned 5 song EP. Props to Marc Whisnant that did a masterful job and the perfect example for a Power Metal album cover bar none.

From the opening chords of the first song, you are transported back in the late nineties with bands like LUCA TURILLI and RHAPSODY. You are thrown back to the heyday of Power Metal goodness, though it's less joyous than the aforementioned bands. You get a sense of wonder and I was glad to relive a period that a lot of people have close to their hearts. The genre got stale in the 2000's unfortunately but this band brought the old style back to the forefront. They are building a bridge between the new guard and the old guard which is a nice touch.

It's only a 5 song EP and it does leave you wanting more. You got some steady drumming, good guitar work and sing-along vocals, which is always something you are looking for in any Power Metal band. Overall, the album is really interesting and pretty epic. The whole record delivers the intensity and fun that Power Metal usually gives us. Inspired by the pillars of the genre, they delivered an above-average Power Metal album with a nod to the old school. Each song sets the stage for the other and you are treated with extremely catchy tracks and it's difficult to pick a favorite tone. A charming album from such a young band.