In this new era for the music industry, with the Internet, mp3s ripping promo CDs before their release etc, it was inevitable for the record companies to turn to watermarked digital download. Even though the quality of an mp3 is not the same as in a CD, an editor can have a very good first look about the album. But, on the other hand, the companies have to do it properly. It doesn't make a good impression to have a digital promo and, instead of a full track, you only listen to a 30-second preview of the previous track!

Anyway, enough with that thing. We are here to talk about We Are The Hammer, the debut album for Canadian trio SAVAGE BLADE. The band was formed just a year ago from three lads. Not much to say about them, since their bio doesn't say anything more, so on with We Are The Hammer' itself.

So changing from my media player and Internet, I've listened to this debut. And what an album that is! This release has its roots back in the NWOBHM era and some Power Metal, fortunately not many, figments. You will not find anything new here, just pure Metal that will make you headbang during almost all 52 minutes of this album. That means only one thing. That most of the themes will be familiar with things you may have listened in the past. But this is not bad at all, when it's been made with such professionalism, great skill and maturity. The good thing is that SAVAGE BLADE is not a copy-paste band. They have influences, as every band has, but there are well filtered. Some songs are the ones that a Metal fan would describe as in your face, like the self-title track or Stallions Of The Highway, some others are more melodic, like Willow Run, Magic Of The Night' (one of my favorite songs in this album) and The Eagle Is Stranded. There are one or two compositions that are not on the same level as the others, but that doesn't make this a mediocre album.

SAVAGE BLADE is like an oasis, as far as pure Heavy Metal concerns nowadays. Thumbs up that they self released this album and made a limited-to-300-pieces vinyl, before they sign to Pure Steel Records. I would definitely recommend it to every fan of Heavy Metal music and to the new generations, just to listen to how Metal should be even in our days and, maybe, start looking for diamonds of the past.