STEEL RHINO sounds like the name of strip club—perhaps the sister club to the Peppermint Rhino and the Spearmint Rhino in Las Vegas. But they aren’t. They are, in fact, a Hard Rock band out of Malmö, Sweden. On October 21, 2023 they released their sophomore full-length album, “In Rhino We Trust,” via GMR Music Group. Fronted by vocalist Herbie Langhans, STEEL RHINO hearkens back to the NWOBHM days of the craft with epic, uplifting tracks about battle, glory, and triumph—each track a fist-pumping, chant-along anthem suitable for stadium audiences.

“In Rhino We Trust” comprises 10 even tracks, with one orchestral interlude—“Final Stand.” Altogether it is a very consistent, very level album with few ups and few downs. The production values are strong, and the musicianship is solid. The songwriting is right down the middle with no explorative jams, no Prog expositions, no political rants, or social moaning. The only thing to complain about is the repetitive and vanilla nature of the tracks. If you listen to one track, you have listened to all the tracks—with the exception of the interlude which is the most distinctive of the lot.

The highlights include “Judgement Day,” for its solo—in fact, Herbie’s vocals and Filip’s solos are the two best features of the album; “Time To Be King” for its striking riff backed by Symph accents which are prevalent throughout the album; and “Strike Hard” again for the riffs and a gorgeous lead solo. Throughout the album, Herbie’s vocals are second to none. The guy really does have some chops—soaring and clean. Again, very NWOBHM.  

If it was 1986, this album would be topping the charts—but it’s 2024, radio no longer exists, and Extreme Metal rules the underground. Don’t get me wrong, STEEL RHINO is a talented band and “In Rhino We Trust” is a good album, but both the band and the album lack a certain passion to set them apart the furious pack.