EISENHAND is an Austrian Heavy Metal band with a bit of thrash and some NWOBHM mixed into a raw sound that even throws in a bit of punk at times. "Fires Within" is their first full-length album and was released via Dying Victim Records on May 20, 2021. With seven songs spanning just under 45 minutes, there are some extended pieces here that impress with their shifts, twists and turns.

The record starts with "The Engine," a six-minute ripper that has a killer rhythm and great guitar riff. The pace is fast and the beat really gets the blood pumping right at the onset. The tempo shift at the halfway point shows a good bit of talent and a love of complex rhythmic patterns that are not progressive metal, but are fun to hear. There is a bit of sludge metal in the song as well. Lots to digest and process.

"Steel City Sorcery" has a lot of similar shifts and tempos changes. The riff is not a frenetic, harking back more to the NWOBHM than some of their more mid-80s thrash sounds. The galloping bass line could be early Steve Harris work. The vocals are pretty intense, the guitar work is at times simple chords working their way along, only to have them speed up and drive the song faster. The complexity of the compositions is pretty impressive.

One of my favorite tracks on the record is "Ancient Symbols," a slow starting sludgy tune of over seven minutes. The kick after the intro is nice. The guitar work is some of the best on the record, using a lot of fills and solo type work. The chugging rhythm is really solid. The keyboards really add to the feel of this song, providing some additional emotion for the tune. The rapid-fire section in the middle puts more power into the song as a whole.

"Dead Of Night" is another ripper. The bridge and guitar solo work on this are pretty impressive. Adding more keyboards and having the drummer/bassist come more to the forefront of the song gives it a bit of variety. "White Fortress" is the shortest song on the record, but still clocks in at over five minutes. The tempo shifts again show a lot of talent by the individual musicians.

Wrapping up the record is the longest song on the disc; "Dizzying Heights" is a nine-minute epic tale of a song. The opening is sludgy and melodic, using a lot of added sound to bolster the overall effect. The next section of the song picks up the pace, but is not the fastest EISENHAND can go. The song doesn't need pure speed, instead using the pace to draw the song along at the proper pace. It is a long, active song that really has a good amount of both style and substance.

EISENHAND is a band that has a good bit of potential. They have some songwriting talent and add in some interesting tempo shifts and pattern changes. The production is a little rough, but there is a lot of quality to this record. The compositions are complex and pretty cohesive across the whole record. I think this is a band to watch for as they grow and expand their sound.