At the start of this month, we traveled to Germany for a look at the Rammstein side project, Emigrate. Then around the middle of February, we examined the obscure legends Sinergy, and wept at what could have been. Today, I’ve saved the best for last, and given that they have a new album coming out in a few weeks, it seemed only appropriate. That’s right, it’s time to take a look at Battle Beast!
That’s right, Battle Beast! I already looked at these Finnish Power Metal masters back in 2017 during part 2 of Power Metal Pandemonium, but I always suspected that I would be looking at them again. As I stated before they’re cranking out No More Hollywood Endings next month, so why not look at what they’ve done so far? With that out of the way, here’s a look at the incredibly nerdy Battle Beast! Let’s begin.
Steel (2011/2012)
Initially only available in Finland, it somehow managed to grab the attention of international record company Nuclear Blast, and the band signed a deal with them in late 2011. After the deal, the band decided to re-release Steel to a wider audience (January 27, 2012), and said re-release included a bonus track. As far as first albums go, Battle Beast did a hell of a job! A through & through Power Metal release, it has it’s influence with the traditional themes you’d expect with the genre, but it also includes a healthy dose of Science Fiction and Anime/Manga as well. This would be a trait that carries through to fundamentally every other Battle Beast release, and it’s a trait I welcome wholeheartedly.
Best Track? Band Of The Hawk has to be one of the goofiest, nerdiest songs not only on this album, or in this band’s library of songs, but in Power Metal ever! Like I mentioned above, Steel is filled with references to Beserk, but it’s this track where said references are incredibly obvious. Ironically, is strangely lighthearted, and feels more like a ballad about an adventuring group fighting bad guys, rather than the tale of a mercenary group led by a madman. Definitely a song to play during your next DnD meetup!
Band Of The Hawk
Worst Track? While a damn good way to start off a career, I’ve found that Steel is perhaps Battle Beast’s most serious release. That’s not to say that there isn’t any cheesiness to be had, cause it most definitely has said cheese in spades. However, given the very obvious references to Beserk across some of the songs, the darker & more morally grey nature of that series somewhat casts a shadow over the record. On top of that, Nitte Valo doesn’t quite have as much force behind her voice. She not a bad singer by any means, but given who was to take her place, Nitte comes across as a little restrained sometimes.
Steel. Fully of sci-fi & dark anime goodness, it’s a great record for metalheads, nerds, and/or otaku to enjoy. However, as you listen to this, you might get the niggling feeling that maybe Battle Beast was holding back a little.....and sweet Christ on a chrome coated Christmas cracker were they holding back!
Battle Beast (2013)
You might remember my review of this album in 2017 during part 2 of Power Metal Pandemonium (Which you can read here), so I won’t repeat too much here. I will say that this: Battle Beast is damn good. With their new singer, the band really feels like their namesake! They really feel like a force to be reckoned with. They feel like a monstrosity that you find in the story books, or only the mightiest force in Dungeons & Dragons. Hell, you can listen to the majority of this record during a DnD game, and it would be a perfect match. Upon acquiring it nearly 2 years ago, it made me a instant fan of these Finnish fiends!
Best Track? I stated this in my original review, but I think that Into The Heart Of Danger is the best song on the album. The track is the ultimate embodiment of courage. It gets your blood pumping. It stiffens your spines, and it can get you to do something! Even if you don’t use the song as a way to get yourself through the day, it’s still a bouncy & optomistic track that brings a smile to your face, and a pep in your step.......and it’ll get you to jump & headbang.
Into The Heart Of Danger
Worst Track? Like I said in my review a while ago, the only bad thing about this album is the fact that it’s self-named. That’s it. Their first album should have been the self-titled one, not their second one.
Battle Beast. Quite possibly the band’s best release, it has since become a gold standard of the group, and the one where the fanbase has measured every subsequent record. Next album!
Unholy Savior (2015)
True story: though their 2nd album was the first from the band I bought, it was Unholy Savior that I first saw. I outright discarded the album cover from my mind, as it looked like something a random Death Metal band would use to a degree. Not only that, but the name across as incredibly goofy, despite how intimidating the cover can be. Once I got into their music, I realized I made a big mistake in brushing them off, but the record does have a big issue (More on that below). Regardless, I kinda like this album. Not quite as much as their self titled album, but Unholy Savior is still pretty fun.
Best Track? Much like Into The Heart Of Danger, Lionheart is just a fun song to crank up the volume for. It contains much of the previously mentioned track’s themes of courage & rising up to defeat your fears. If it does have one difference, it would be the obvious change in pacing. Lionheart is a little bit faster than Into The Heart Of Danger, but not overwhelmingly so. I picture this song in a knight’s head as he’s charging a castle, storming the place, and rescuing the princess or prince, and riding off into the sunset. Definitely one to not skip!
Lionheart
Worst Track? Kinda like their self-titled album, there’s absolutely nothing bad on Unholy Savior. Everybody puts in a lot of effort, and it shows! My problem is that it doesn’t deviate from Battle Beast. In many ways, Unholy Savior almost is like a Battle Beast part 2. There’s a lot of the same vibes, the same sounds, the same themes, etc. Whether this was because they were lazy, or because they couldn’t think of anything new to use in their music, I’m not sure. I will say this: if you are going to copy or continue with an album, make it a good one, and luckily for them they did.
Unholy Savior. Nothing necessarily new, but nothing bad at the same time. If for whatever reason you weren’t a fan of their self-titled album, you might find this one to be enjoyable. However, as fine as this album is, it would seem like some trouble would come their way. Next album!
Bringer Of Pain (2017)
I’m.....conflicted about this album. On the one hand, I enjoy it. The band’s still having fun, it’s still silly music, and it’s still geeky. On the other hand.....it’s not as strong as Steel, their self titled album, and even Unholy Savior. Anton Kabanen really was the creative force behind the band, and without him Battle Beast’s fangs aren’t quite as sharp. You can still feel the bite most definitely, but the wounds are a little more easily cleanable & will heal a little quicker.
Regardless, Bringer Of Pain managed to get on the no. 1 spot on the Finnish music charts like Unholy Savior. Following it’s release, Battle Beast went on a 5 week tour in Europe alongside fellow bands Majesty and Gyze, and toured for the first time in the United States with Leaves’ Eyes and Sabaton during that band’s “The Last Tour” (Of which I was at in the Upstate Concert Hall). Not only that, but they actually performed for the first time in Japan in September of 2017. All of this is pretty cool if you ask me!
Best Track? Bastard Son Of Odin is just a catchy little number. One reason why I think it’s the best song is because I own the shirt for it. You see the bastard son riding a motorcycle, with a scythe on his back, and holding a skull in his left hand. Not only that, but one of the lyrics is right on the back of the shirt, and for me that spot weirdly covers my ass up a little. The other reason why the song is so good is cause it’s got some great instrumentation and vocal work from Noora Louhimo, not to mention a geeky vibe you feel on prior releases, and just a little bit of Viking Metal flavor sprinkled on top. Definitely a fun song to play at parties.
Bastard Son Of Odin
Worst Track? Again, Bringer Of Pain’s only flaw is that it feels like a downgrade compared to the band’s last 3 albums. Instrumentation isn’t as great, vocal work isn’t as powerful, and even the geeky themes used in the past aren’t quite as present. This results in an album that’s not quite as strong as what came before it, and in a weird way make Battle Beast feel like an old-school novelty act trying to make a comeback after being away for a longtime. This also makes Bringer Of Pain feel like a release from a band that’s coasting off of their past success. There’s still plenty of fun to be had, but not as much as the last 3 records.
Bringer Of Pain. Not a bad album by any stretch, but everything felt like a step backwards rather that forwards. It certainly is enjoyable in many spots, but it’s not quite as punchy or badass as the band’s first 3 releases. Will things get improved with the arrival of their 5th album next month? Well, stayed tuned in April for an update to this overview, where I’ll give you all my thoughts on No More Hollywood Endings. In the meantime, let’s see what this whole “Beast In Black” thing is all about!
Berserker (2017)
For me.....I love this album! Berserker is what Steel should have been, and what Bringer Of Pain needed to be. Much like BB’s first release, Anton is borrowing heavily from Beserk, but the big difference between this album and Steel is vibes contained within the music. Berserker can still be a serious record to be sure, but it’s obvious that it takes itself less seriously than Steel, and has a much stronger fun factor (Even though Steel can be fun). If you thought that BB’s first outing was too grim, then Berserker might be more of your thing. Personally I like both, but I can easily see why someone would prefer one over the other.
Best Track? Like Battle Beast’s 2nd & 3rd albums, Berserker has fantastic songs from top to bottom. From the opener Beast In Black, to the closing notes of Ghost In The Rain, it’s obvious that Anton setout to craft an album in the style of Battle Beast, yet was firmly in his own vision. He most easily succeeded, as I genuinely can’t pick a single track on here that represents Berserker the best. Everything is that good, but I’ll be damned if I don’t think that Blind & Frozen is the goofiest, hokiest track on the album!
Blind & Frozen
Worst Track? Kind of like BB’s self-titled 2013 album, and not to mention Unholy Savior from 2015, but Berserker has no bad tunes from beginning to end. If there was one thing someone could nitpick about the album, it’s probably the fact that it does borrow from the Battle Beast book a bit. Cheesy keyboarding, the equally cheesy 80s vibe, loud & powerful vocals, thunderous drums & guitars, etc. Luckily, it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy at any point, but a new listener could easily mistake this as a BB ripoff.
Berserker. Certainly borrows one or two things from his former band, but Anton Kabanen still proves that he’s a creative, fun, and awesome musician. If you were turned off by the weaker nature of Bringer of Pain or the serious aura of Steel, this will easily fill the void. Next album!
From Hell With Love (2019)
As for me? Despite it still cooling down a bit since it’s release earlier in February, I quite enjoy From Hell With Love. Further proof that Anton Kabanen is the heart & soul (As far as songwriting, atmosphere, and personality is concerned) of not only of Beast In Black and his former compatriots, this entire album is built upon what made Berserker so good.....only with a healthy injections of steroids stuck in it’s butt! The 80s atmosphere that was present on BiB’s first outing comes back, only this time it’s at the forefront of the entire record, yet not in a way that’s overwhelmingly oddly enough. If I was to describe it, I’d say that From Hell With Love is a long lost 80s metal album, coating with a sugary Power Metal coating, and decorated with some fantasy-themed sprinkles. If that doesn’t sound appetizing, then I don’t know what is!
Best Track? Just like Berserker, there is not a single song on From Hell With Love that could act as a best track. Every tune is just a nice little treat, and the 80s atmosphere is a massive nostalgia blast for anyone who loves that period of Heavy Metal. However, I should make mention of the band’s decision to cover the classic Motörhead song, Killed By Death. Beast In Black really treated the song with a great deal of respect: while it still has some Power Metal spice in the mixture, the overall experience would make Lemmy smile with delight, as it still sounds like something from the Motörhead school of music. Though it’s a bonus track, it should be one of the reasons to seek From Hell With Love out!
Killed By Death (Beast In Black Version)
Worst Track? As with Berserker, everything on From Hell With Love is fantastic. If you want to be exceedingly nitpicky, you could say that this album isn’t really all that much different from BiB’s first release. In a weird way it’s not a detriment, as while Unholy Savior seemed to simply copy it’s predecessor’s formula, From Hell With Love takes everything that made Berserker great, and reinforce those qualities with a turn of the knob to 11. Again, only listeners with really picky outlooks on the album would talk about this, but for people like me who enjoy the hokey.....we’re content.
From Hell With Love. An 80s overload to the 10th degree, it none the less proves to be incredibly entertaining. Time will tell whether it will be a classic or not, but in the meantime it’s earns it’s keep in spades, and it’s definitely a release I recommend to anyone who wants some cheesy Power Metal. Now the beast has emerged once again, but is it still deadly? Next album!
No More Hollywood Endings (2019) ***
With Bringer of Pain seeing the band shift their style to something a little more safer, not to mention marking the first time the BB fans becoming divided, people were worried that things would get worse during the next few years. So when it was announced late in 2018 that the band was releasing new material here in 2019, fans (Including myself) were excited & filled with hope that it would wash away everything that was bad with BoP. After a few months of waiting, on the 26th of March of this year, No More Hollywood Ending was released. Did it alleviate the fears of fans, and turned things around for the band? Nope. Not at all!
I do not know what the hell happened, but everybody within Battle Beast has completely turned a 180, and are going in the wrong direction. What See You On The Other Side was to Korn, No More Hollywood Endings is to BB. This album is the easiest to listen to, the most radio friendly, and by far the most commercial record that the band has ever written! Bringer of Pain, while definitely sharing some elements of this release, at the very least felt like they were still an 80s nerd inspired Power Metal band. It still felt like they were trying, and it still felt like they were having fun. Not so much with this one: from top to bottom they are removing almost every single component that got them fame & success in the first place. I don't understand why everybody in BB hates Anton (Most popular theory is that he was a huge control freak) and why they absolutely refuse to speak, but what they're doing here does nothing but ruin a reputation that's already damaged, and seals their fate as a group that's doomed to become more & more commercial with each release.
Best Track? Despite it's faults, there are actually a couple tracks that somehow manage to have some semi-balance of BB's first 3 albums. Chief among them was the second single of the record, Eden. When it first premiered, a lot of the fanbase that was worried by the first single (More on that below) seemed to have some of their fear taken away (Myself included). There's plenty of good riffage all over, the drumwork is nice & thunderous, and Noora Louhimo still slays on vocals. There are some more songs like this, but Eden is definitely the pinnacle of older Battle Beast remnants on this album.
Eden
Worst Track? I don't think it's legal to say anything other than Endless Summer. I didn't realize I could simultaneously have chills up my spine, feel a piece of my soul die, and suffer a seizure while listening to a song.....but somehow this one did! This feels like a band completely selling out, throwing away everything that made them great, and going for something cheap & easy just to make a quick buck. It comes across like an 80s summer song, but not a good one. Even when there's a typical Battle Beast moment (Which are incredibly few on this tune), it goes away almost immediately after a few seconds. The only nice thing I can say about Endless Summer is that when you see it coming on the tracklist, you know immediately when to press the skip button. Absolutely terrible!
Endless Summer
A dishonorable mention would have to go to the title track. When it first premiered on youtube (The first single in fact), fans were divided more on it than anything on their previous record. While still a commercial feeling song, it still goes through the motions of BB's prior work, albeit not quite as strong. It's definitely got a good beat & rhythm to it, but that doesn't help it in anyway.
No More Hollywood Endings
Apart from the previously mentioned tune, No More Hollywood Endings's single biggest fault is the massively commercial nature surrounding every piece of music on here (Even the good songs). Bringer of Pain, despite it faults, still came across like a Battle Beast album. A little toned down, and a little more commercially accessible, but it still sounds & feels like BB. Here? Very little of what made the band so good & so popular in the first place remains, and instead a group that's doing everything it can to move away from what made them incredible has taken it's place. Like I said above, everybody in the band is doing everything they can to erase the name & memory of the band member that gave them their heart and soul, and that shoves Battle Beast further & further into the realm of commerciality and radio play. I now dread what comes next, and I think much of the fanbase does so as well.
No More Hollywood Endings. The first bad Battle Beast album, but it's not unbearable. If you can struggle through the bad stuff, there are a few nuggets of good music to listen to. Casual fans will more than likely stay away due to all of the negative press, and only massively die hard listeners will ever step foot near this record. Not recommended to anybody, Power Metal fans or otherwise. Next album!
Dark Connection (2021) ***
Super quick story: I was actually supposed to see Beast In Black last year. They were actually one of the openers for Hammerfall (There was another band along for the ride, but I forgot their name), but then the plague hit, and that threw a diseased wrench into the cogs, putting an end to the tour in question. Story aside, if there was one good about the plague-ridden year of 2020, it's that it gave bands a lot of time to work on new material without the fuss of touring, and Beast In Black were no exception to this. Without having to travel all over, they sat their asses down in the studio, and got to work on the follow up to their 2019 release From Hell With Love (Which was one of my number 2 albums of that year), and just over 2 weeks ago on the 29th of October, 2021, Dark Connection was released. A Considerably more Science Fiction/Cyberpunk release than either of their previous releases, Dark Connection is just as good as Berserker or FHWL, and still acts as a sign that they are the true "Beast" of the Power Metal world.
Best Track? One Night In Tokyo has got to be one of the most weeb-tastic metal songs I've ever heard, and considering all of the praise & attention I've give to Everfrost since 2019, that is saying something! This song feels like it was made for a 90s Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk anime: there's keyboards and synths all over the place, the 90’s Eurodance vibes are strong, and you can use this as the show's opener or closer & it somehow works perfectly. However, there's still some nice guitar & bass work, drumming, and Yannis Papadopoulos's signature voice is still as incredible as ever. I can easily understand why some listeners would laugh at this song, but it also happens to be one of the best on Dark Connection.
And there's the track that will absolutely blindside you (It certainly blindsided), which is a cover of the Michael Jackson classic They Don't Care About Us. The Cyberpunk flavorings of Dark Connection cover this song as well, but what's interesting is that the original core message of the original version isn't lost. In fact, it actually meshes incredibly well with the Sci-Fi keyboard/synth of this album, and even the pacing of this cover is incredibly similar to that of the original Michael Jackson version. It's certainly a head-scratching choice to a cover, but Beast In Black simultaneously give this a incredible deal of respect, why at the same time making it a little bit of their own tune.
Worst Track? To suggest that a song on Dark Connection is bad is just pure lunacy. Every single tune is an absolute banger, and while some tracks are a little cheesier than others, you can't say they're not fun. My only nitpick (And this is a easy nitpic) is that maybe the album relies a little too heavily on the keyboards & synths. On records like Berserker & From Hell With Love, there was a seemingly perfect balance between the instrumentation and the keyboarding & synth work, but on this album that's not the case. To play a little bit of Devil's Advocate, Beast In Black were going in a more Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk direction with this release, so I can understand the shift.
Dark Connection. More in the realm of Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk than the previous two releases, it still manages to be a badass buffet of Power Metal, cheese and all. If you were disappointed by Battle Beast's outing in 2019, or just want a little more keyboard in your life, then for the love of all the metal gods go for this record!
Circus of Doom (2022) ***
With No More Hollywood Endings still lingering in the air, many among the Battle Beast fanbase lot faith. Though it definitely had fans, there were far more people (Myself included) that considered it a betrayal on par with that of St. Anger. The lack of metal, the heavy focus on the pop elements, and the neutering of what made the band so good in the first place really hurt BB. So much so, that Anton Kabanen's 2nd startup band Beast In Black claimed the title of "Beast" for so time. So when it came to be that Battle Beast were cranking out a 6th record, I confess that I was rather nervous. NMHE was such a bomb, and the first two to three singles that came out since, while definitely not bad (More on that below), certainly didn't boost my confidence. Then, just a day ago on the 21st of January, Circus Of Doom was released......and sweet baby Jesus to the 10th degree.......HOLY SHIT!
This album.....this somewhat goofy named album.....has somehow turned things around for Battle Beast. Actually, it's more like the band traveled back in time, and now feel more akin to their first 3 records rather than what they were from 2017 to 2019. Where the hell was this band when Bringer Of Pain was released? WHERE THE HELL WAS THIS BAND WHEN NO MORE HOLLYWOOD ENDINGS CAME OUT!? For the first time in nearly 7 years, Battle Beast feel like an all-out badass Power Metal band. You got the 80s nostalgia, you got the power, you got the geekery (Though it's more subtle this time), and perhaps most importantly....you got the metal! Already, this is gonna go on my top 5 albums of 2022 list, and even if it doesn't for whatever reason, I still consider it to be damn good record.
Best Track? Russian Roulette is a certified banger on this album! Like a tune off of their self-titled release, this song has one foot in 1980s nostalgia, and the other foot in modern day Power Metal & modern recording/production. There's so much energy from everybody as the song plays!: Noora Louhimo is back to claim her throne, as her voice is unshackled from the middling level she was singing across almost all of NMHE, and soars all over the skies with her patented U.D.O./Doro Pesch like screech. Pyry Vikki goes to town on the drums, Juuso Soinio & Joona Björkroth command their guitars like no-one's business, Eero Sipilä is magic on the bass, and Janne Björkroth weaves a tapestry of sound on the keyboard. It is still a bit weird that Anton Kabanen isn't with the band, but it finally appears as if they might be okay without him.
Worst Track? It's almost a crime to say that the music on Circus Of Doom is bad. From beginning to end, Battle Beast are for all intent & purpose laid out a massive apology to the faithful across the 10 tracks we were given. I do find that the first 2 to 3 songs, despite still being good, came across as a little lacking in energy, and thus I felt a little hesitant to dive into the rest at first. Outside of that one thing, I can't think of any tune on this album that is a cacophony of garbage sound. The group really did turn things around with their latest output, and will I still feel a small bit nervous at the possibility that they could theoretically screw it all up again, for the time being I am confident that they learned from their mistakes.
Circus Of Doom. Miles & miles beyond their last two records, the band has seemingly returned to their comfort zone that was Steel, their self-titled album, and Unholy Savior. I cannot stress this enough: this album absolves the group of most of their crimes & issues that stemmed from Bringer of Pain and No More Hollywood Endings. If those releases disappointed you in any way (And I have a feeling that for the majority of you, they definitely did.), then Circus Of Doom will easily fulfill the giant beast sized hole in your hear
And that’s the conclusion of Mini Month, covering the Finnish monster Battle Beast (Alongside the splinter group Beast In Black). They may have tripped up a little, but you can’t deny that they’re two of the best bands to crop up this decade. Let’s hope that their next release fixes any mistakes, and in the meantime, I’ll see you all in March!
***A
If you’re curious about listening to this band(s), then check out the links below:
Steel
Battle Beast
Unholy Savior
Bringer Of Pain
Berserker
From Hell With Love
No More Hollywood Endings
Circus Of Doom
***B
Updated on March 27, 2019 (12:21 A.M., Eastern Standard Time)
***C
Updated on November, 13, 2021 (1:12 A.M., Eastern Standard Time)
***D
Updated on January, 22, 2022 (9:47 P.M., Eastern Standard Time)
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