I really love these hidden-gems bands that made quite an impact back in the 80s and then got lost into oblivion. Their names have become almost a legend among the vinyl lovers who are dying to find a debut album of such a band. Currently we are living the days of the vinyl revival and High Roller Records is one of those labels that are still hitting us with some nice albums in the beloved format. So, STEEL ASSASSIN decided to breath a new air to their music and return with In Hellfire Forged comprising re-recorded versions of selected tracks from the two demos released in 1984 and 1985. Unfortunately, I learnt the name of STEEL ASSASSIN when I got the latest newsletter from High Roller Records but now I am more than glad to know that this album will come in vinyl!
Spartacus opens this album with a massive JAG PANZER feeling from the Ample Destruction mid 80s days. Actually, John Falzone sounds like the original JAG PANZER singer hitting hard with a wide range voice with enough power to blow your head off (his harsh screams are excellent)! The guitars are solid as hell giving creating this epic wall of sound giving you some quality headbanging time supporting by the bass and drum allegiance. There is no room to breath since Phaeton grabs the reins with a galloping groove and some more battle cries that give you multiple goosebumps. The leading guitar riff has an Eastern lining and later on leads to a killer double guitar solo lifting the spirits even more. What can I possibly add here? I mean everything sounds in place and in the right timbre for this kind of Metal genre. The double guitar harmonies exchange places (and speakers) having the exact amount of distortion you like to have from band's like HELSTAR and -of course- early OMEN shining through the trademark US sound. One of my favorites is Heavy Metal Soldiers From Hell that kicks in with a MAIDEN-esque twin guitar intro and follows a killer sing-along path that will haunt you from the very first listening session. Things get heavier and more epic during Attila The Hun where the bass guitar is literally galloping along the lyrics that obviously talk about the deeds of the leader of the Hunnic Empire. Listening to songs like this makes me wondering why in the hell bands like were getting lost.
The band has added the brand new track Breakout At St. Lo that -as the band says- is a preview of the upcoming album entitled Metal of Honor. This song amazingly follows the sound of the previous and older tracks comprising a solid bass ala MOTORHEAD groove and a hearty fast/epic tempo to go with. It seems that STEEL ASSASSIN still got the Metal mojo and we should be more than happy about this. So, to wrap this up be sure to get your vinyl copy fast (there will be only 500 copies) and if you prefer the CD version then head out to the band's official MySpace page by clicking this link: www.myspace.com/steelassassin.