Not unstoppable, nor undesirable, just undistinguished.

"I have mood poisoning. Must be something I hate" – Marilyn Manson. The Judas Priest loving Steel Raiser have a punning title and almost a punning delivery. If a pun sounds alike but has different meanings, this music sounds exactly like many other bands but wants to fly alone. Sadly, it's still bumping along the bottom.

It has what we would want from a Metal album alright, double bass drumming, tight and sharp riffing, screaming and gang-chorusing. It's just that, as I've banged on about in excelsis, they are just serviceable; they aren't harder than most, they don't have catchier melodies than most, they don't have bigger riffs than most nor faster feet. They try that last one a few times though, and that's when they become a little more successful – the ridiculously named 'Mole Breaker' rattles along and it's mob chorus seems entirely appropriate, and 'Fast As The Light' might be, well at least as a pocket torch.

"They also try a bit of "synth string" stuff to add, you know, drama which works pretty well on the assisted commercial feel of 'The Last Tears', flowing chorus, solo bubbling up then keening away but not half as good in the melodic attempt that is 'Scent Of Madness'. And there are a few more like this, disappointing us with expectation of memorable Metal.

This album isn't awful of course, it has fun running through it. But in comparison to the Priest, it shrivels in a long shadow; fair enough, but it also languishes in the shadow of many more less storied combos. Not unstoppable, nor undesirable, just undistinguished.

Steve Swift