NWOBHM underdogs, SATAN'S EMPIRE, was formed in 1979, yet somehow managed to fly under the radar of the burgeoning British metal scene at the time and quickly fell by the wayside. After relocating to London from Dundee at the height of the NWOBHM era, SATAN'S EMPIRE gained massive momentum after appearing on the 1981 Neat Records compilation "Lead Weight" with the track "Soldiers of War."

With a musical combination of IRON MAIDEN and SAXON, SATAN'S EMPIRE'S take on mid-paced traditional, anthemic heavy metal possesses a comforting familiarity with a genuine passion for the genre. Reforming at the end of 2016 due to fan interest, SATAN'S EMPIRE released "Rising," which featured re-releases of reworked tracks from back in their heyday. On "Hail the Empire," the band's first proper album of original material in 37? years finally sees the light of day.

Opening track "Warrior" is the perfect introduction to the band with its majestic, old school metal guitar melodies, possessing a MAIDEN-esque mid-paced gallop and glorious, gang-chanted vocals on the anthemic chorus, reminding listeners of SAXON, ANGEL WITCH and WITCHFINDER GENERAL. Vocalist Derek Lyon is a cross between Biff Byford (SAXON) and Brian Ross (SATAN, BLITZKRIEG), possessing an engaging range with huge harmonies and a melodic, vibrato timbre.

Most of the 10 tracks stay in the mid-paced, bluesy shuffle range, while tracks "Black" and "Storm on the Airwaves" raise the stakes with its aggression and tempo variation. For fans of old-school traditional '80s metal with flourishes of NWOBHM elements, "Hail the Empire" is a bona fide scorcher.