"Blood, Fire, Magic, and Steel," via Prosthetic Records. Normally, I would not categorize myself as a Power Metal connosieur, but I wanted to break out of my comfort zone and cover something markedly different than my usual dose of Extreme Metal. It seems, though, that my concept of Power Metal and its strengths is in direct conflict with this new crop of bands. Perhaps it is a matter of taste, but I was not impressed with BATTLE BORN in the least.

First, my immediate reaction to the opening statement of purpose, "Wind Caller," was to be reminded of decades ago when I first heard Luca Turilli's RHAPSODY. Another point of reference would be DRAGON FORCE. Obviously, this album is another example of what I would term Hollywood Metal. This classification denotes a band whose sound is overly produced resulting in a soundtrack-like effect. If that's your thing, cool! If not, you're in the same boat with me!

"Dragon Heart" is an improvement upon the first track. There's an altogether more confrontational, visceral feel. This would be the track upon which to establish the needed momentum to carry this album forward. "Blood and Fire" follows and extends said momentum though largely not contributing to stoke it.

The production, as mentioned, is just too much. This is Heavy Metal yet the approach behind the board causes the album to resemble a video game soundtrack more than the chosen genre. This is certainly a weak aspect of the record because it is presented in a too-neatly-designed package.

"Power Force," the fourth track is not an improvement. The "daring" vocal effects employed contribute to the song's altogether laughable nature. "When Empires Die" follows continuing the blueprint and languishing in an uninspired mire. Finally, sixth track," "The Endless Grey," comes across as melodramatic and overly so serving to continue this track record of misses.

It would be unjust to give this album a "bad" score (less than 5 stars) because there is a ubiquitous element of hard work at play here. While the songs did not inspire me, perhaps they will do the trick for someone else. The band is certainly not lacking in talent though that did not prevent me from wondering throughout "When will this end?" The over-prominence of synths was a buzzkill leaving the album less a Power Metal opus and more of an experiment in musical theatrics. At the end of the day, "Hail to England" or "Keeper of the Seven Keys" both prevail as striking examples of Power Metal done right. BATTLE BORN? Not so much!