I'm a great fan of the 2007's album "War Of The Eight Saints" by this American & rather unknown Power Metal band from Massachusetts called STEEL ASSASSIN highly influenced by IRON MAIDEN / ACCEPT / LEATHERWOLF / MALICE / HELSTAR / LIEGE LORD etc...You name it!

They are survivors of the early "Metal Massacre" days, went back to 1985... In 2009 a cool compilation with re-recorded 80s tracks paved the way for this real album: a concept album about WWII heroes... And even if the music is a little less striking and more elaborate, the style displayed here is intense in the same kind of epic galloping as ICED EARTH has been known for. The vocals are indeed very lyrical and fierce in the same way as Barlow or Dickinson would sing it, and we already know that John Falzone is a powerhouse screamer!

The drums and the bass-guitar are quite present in the mix and the guitars are also very sharp and organic which gave to the whole a live feel, way different from a lot of today's recording that sounds too clean and sterile, the sound is raw and dynamic like this kind of Metal as it must be seasoned.

The lyrical concept that interferes very little with music excepted for a few short narrative moments but the music carries easily the listener into a feel of burden, the tragedy and anguish typical of battlefields such as ACCEPT so beautifully did with the new title "Shadow Soldiers" out of the excellent "Stalingrad"... Expect the same straight ruthless from these American guys!

Even the RUSH cover is steelized and assassined to fit the concept musically as the lyrics were already deeply grounded in the extermination camp horror. The style is very compartmentalized and STEEL ASSASSIN is a very faithful defender of True Metal, so obviously no surprise in this platter but Pure Metal in the real serious tradition... No bullshit just Metal... Proudly!