That’s right fellow Otaku & Metalheads, we got an album’s birthday today. Okay, this one is rather belated, as the subject of today’s review turned a decade old this year back in April (The 13th of April, to be exact). If anything, today’s review has a tinge of sadness to it , as the band in question has fallen far from grace in recent years. Once a potential Power Metal titan, they have become something of a joke thanks to really bad decisions. However, this isn’t about their present today, but about their past instead. Today’s review covers the very first record that they ever put out. This release shows off the potential of what these guys were capable, and what they could have been. Let’s not waste anymore time, and take a look at the very first album that Battle Beast ever released, and see what this potential was. Let the review begin!
Background
Our story begins in 2010. Before they gained a record contract, Nitte Valo (Lead Vocals), Juuso Soinio (Guitars), Anton Kabanen (Guitars, Backing Vocals, Lyricist), Eero Sipilä (Bass, Narrator, Backing Vocals), Pyry Vikki (Drums), and Janne Björkroth (Keyboards, Orchestral Arrangements, Backing Vocals) were known for winning two major band competitions: the international Wacken Metal Battle 2010, participated by thousands of bands from all around the world, whose final stage was held at the famed German metal festival Wacken Open Air. Soon after that, the band was announced the winner of Radio Rock Starba, a band competition held by the major Finnish radio station Radio Rock. With their victory in RRS, they had received intense exposure by the Finnish media, and before the end of 2010 they signed a deal with Hype Records.
Released in the spring of 2011, Steel was released. Supported by the singles Show Me How to Die and Enter the Metal World, not to mention heavy airplay on Radio Rock, would propel the album to no. 7 on the Finnish charts. Initially released only in Finland, it caught the attention of international metal label Nuclear Blast, with whom the band signed a licensing deal in late 2011. A reissue of the record, which included a bonus track, was released to the European market in January of 2012.
Basic Description
Nerd Metal.
Power Metal by it’s very nature, has always been a little geeky. With many albums often taking on a Fantasy and/or Science Fiction nature, it’s not necessarily hard to see why it’s sometimes called “Nerd Metal”, and there were definitely plenty of bands that incorporated other nerdy things into the fold. However, in my personal opinion, Battle Beast were the first band in the genre to really let the geek fly! The Fantasy & Science Fiction knobs have been turned up to 11 and broken off, and there’s some threads of anime sewn into the music as well. There’s even a dash or two of 80s nostalgia as well, thanks in part to some of the vibes generated. I do have one huge gripe with the album (More on that below), but that gripe doesn’t ruin how awesome this early 2010s entry into the realm of Power Metal can be.
Best Track
The Band of the Hawk is probably the song that’s most often recognized off of Steel. A mid-paced track, this one also is the least obvious when it comes to the Berserk references that Anton Kabanen was known for. It never goes for bleak or depressing however, as the band make out the titular mercenary company to be much more noble & good-hearted than their interpretation in the anime & manga. I do gotta love the lute-like sound that’s used in the semi-softer portions, as it makes the fantasy vibes that much stronger. Definitely the standout track of the album!
The Band of the Hawk
Worst Track
I made a mention of this back in 2019, and I’m repeating myself here. Steel, as fantastic as the instrumentation is. As great as the atmosphere is. As awesome as the 80s vibes are, and as cool as the Berserk & various other anime/fantasy references are.....is a bizarrely restrained album. As all out as the band is going with the instrumentation & keyboarding, Nitte Valo’s vocals aren’t quite what I expected from these guys. She’s not bad by any means, as she can really lay it on & crank up the volume, but there’s something not quite there for me. As such, I think the band reign themselves in because of this. Once Noora Louhimo joined Battle Beast, that’s when they were able to throw off the collar and go nuts on the next two albums (3 if you count Bringer of Pain).
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Steel
Overall Impression & Rating
Steel is certainly a good album to start a career on. The intensity & passion is evident, and everybody in the band knows their roll and runs with it! Sadly, the restraint that’s shown from the vocals, and by extension the rest of the group because of said vocals, gives the album a massive dent in it’s metallic frame. Still, this is a nice slab of early 2010s Power Metal, and Battle Beast really show off a lot of potential. If you want to wonder how this band got big before their fall, then start right at Steel.
Steel gets a 7.5 out of 10. I was tempted to give it a 7 out of 10, but it’s a much stronger album than that.
And that was my review for the almighty Steel. A great if restrained first album, it was the birth of Battle Beast, and for nearly a decade they raised a lot of nerdy hell. It such a shame that they would throw it all away in an effort to wipe away what made them so good in the first place, and replaced it with.....something. Anyways, I got 1 last post for this month, so stay tuned!
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