With my first anime review in quite a while post up a few weeks ago, I’ve gotten a bit of positive energy back into my step. Maybe not as much as prior years, but it’s back in a way. With this boost, I may have a few new ideas later on in 2020, but for now there’s a birthday today! I confess I actually missed this album’s 5-year anniversary back in January, but I’m making up for it today. So, get your sword & armor, give that picture of your sweetheart a look so it fills you with strength and courage, and enjoy my review of Battle Beast’s 3rd release, Unholy Savior. Let’s begin!
Background
Battle Beast were on top in the early 2010s. Their 1st album Steel made it to number 7 on the Finnish charts, and after some more touring their self-titled 2nd album made it to no. 5 & stayed their for 17 weeks (Not to mention charting in a few more European charts). After their second release, they would go on a tour of Europe, supporting Powerwolf & German legends U.D.O.. In January of 2014, Battle Beast was announced one of the five nominees for the best Finnish metal album in the national Emma-gaala awards (Whether they won or not, I don’t know). Despite the amount of success they were receiving, the band knew that resting on their butts was not a good idea, and after entering the studios, their third studio album was produced. Released on the 9th of January in 2015, Unholy Savior would be their highest charting album at the time, making it to number 1 on the Finnish charts, and it would stay their for 15 weeks.
Basic Description
The band’s self-titled album......2.0.
I should state that I haven’t been a fan of Battle Beast for very long. As of this typing, I’ve only been listening to them for a little over 3 years at this point. Due to these, I’m not quite as familiar with them when compared to fans that have been with the band since the very beginning. Upon encountering them during Sabaton’s tour back in 2017, I was hooked! When I sat down & listened to their 2nd album (Review link here), I was practically addicted. Upon listening to Unholy Savior for the 1st time was more of less the same thing. It was just as awesome as what came before it, but at the sametime I sort of felt that things may have been a little too much like their self-titled record. Listening to Unholy Savior a few more times just reinforced this feeling more, and that simultaneously is a good thing & a bad thing.....but I’ll elaborate on it further below. Suffice it to say, it’s fun despite it’s single problem.
Best Track
Lionheart is Unholy Savior’s Out Of Control/Into The Heart Of Danger (pick your preference). It’s fast & punchy like Out Of Control, but it also has more of the uplifting nature that Into The Heart Of Danger practically bathes in. A little more like a love song, Lionheart is the kind of song you listen you when you’re in a high fantasy world. You’re storming the castle of the evil lord, you can see the princess (Or prince, if you swing that way) in the highest tower, and your charging forth to save them. You get a big rush of adrenaline as you listen to this song, and it doesn’t let up as the tune plays.
Lionheart
However, I do wanna make some mention of the bonus tracks of this album. The 1st is a cover of Paul Engemann’s early 80s classic Push It To The Limit (Which was on Scarface’s soundtrack, btw). Perhaps even more 80s that the original version, Battle Beast’s take on it is infectious & addicting. The 2nd is also a cover, and it just so happes to be one on W.A.S.P’s classic track, Wild Child. The band & Noora Louhimo are really bringing out the previously mentioned band’s spirit as they play, and while it’s not my favorite cover, it’s not a bad one either. Curiously, the Push It To The Limit cover is available on both the limited edition and the Japanese edition, but the Wild Child cover is for the Japanese edition only. If there’s been an edition since then that has both bonus tracks released on it, please let me know!
Push It To The Limit
Wild Child
Worst Track
Again, Unholy Savior’s only flaw is that it doesn’t differentiate from the record before it. Not exactly the track listing, but more of the flavor of the album. Like their 2013 release, this album is drenched with 80s vibes, and filled with references to fantasy, sci-fi, anime/manga (Berserk specifically), etc. Now I got no complaints about any band that makes music with these influences (See my posts that talk about Everfrost), as I love this kind of stuff! However, you kinda need to try different things every once in a while. You kinda need to go outside your comfort zone somewhat if you want to evolve as a band. However, given what was brewing within Battle Beast back then......it’s entirely possible that they couldn’t do anything different. Given that Anton left a mere month after the album came out during a tour supporting Sabaton (Musical disagreements and other unsolvable issues within the band are often cited), there may be some weight to this theory.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Unholy Savior
Overall Impression & Rating
Unholy Savior is more or less the same as that of their self-titled monstrosity. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either a good thing or a bad thing. For me I don’t mind: to this day their 2013 classic is what got me hooked onto the band, and Unholy Savior isn’t that much different from that record. It’s still geeky, nerdy, otaku-y, and heavy........and that’s all I can ask for. Certainly an album to seek out!
Unholy Savior gets a 9 out of 10.
And that was Unholy Savior. Again, not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, but perhaps a little too similar to their prior release. Still, I enjoyed what I was listening to, and I hope that any of you who are interested in this release give it a go. Well, I got another anime review coming towards the end of the month, and this series is a little more recent than what I looked at a few weeks ago. See you soon!
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