Battle Born

Everyone loves cheese. Well, unless you're a vegan or lactose intolerant, of course - but pretty much everyone else loves a nice thick slathering of glorious cheese. Yeah, cheese comes in all kinds of flavors and textures with myriad nuances but when it really boils down to it, there are two types: playful, delicious cheese (Brie, Tasty) and cheese that tries too hard and is far too serious, thus ending up smelling and tasting like your dog dragged its ass across your face while you were asleep (Blue Cheese, Limburger). Why am I talking about cheese? Because the EP we are checking out today is a five track slab of glistening POWER METAL. We all know power metal is the cheesiest genre on earth, and just like this extraordinarily forced analogy I'm desperately trying to shoehorn into this review, some of it is delicious… and some of it fucking reeks. Enter BATTLE BORN.

This fresh-faced UK five-piece features members of various other established acts amongst their ranks, but this is their first foray into the most OTT of genres. So which side of the cheese divide does their eponymous debut EP Battle Born lie on? Let us carefully consider the following:

- The cover art is a giant anthropomorphic bear warrior riding/slaying a dragon in a pit of flames, backed by soaring mountain ranges.
- They have a song entitled 'Man Of War'.
- When I spoke to one of the members about writing this review, they suggested I replace every word in the review with the word "metal".
- The entire EP fucking RULES.

Yes, if you're a fan of metal and can appreciate it when a band has tongue firmly planted in cheek, Battle Born is straight up one of the best times you'll have whilst listening to music. Like even Manowar throwing all restraint to the wind nothing is too much for these young gents; from the way the opening melody of each track almost always foreshadows the stupidly catchy vocal lines, to the magnificently obnoxious synth, arena-sized riffs, frequent triumphant key changes and lyrics based largely on Skyrim but also peppered with knowing wink-wink-nudge-nudge references like "run them to the hills", "freedom calls", "metal magic" and "through fire and flames". Man-choirs and call-to-arms battle chants abound, and I swear every time I hear the ridiculous line "your wooden swords are broken, 'CAUSE METAL'S MADE OF STEEL!" I can't help but burst out laughing.

It's all done with a deep love of the genre, a delicious sense of self-awareness and a massive amount of fun, but also saves itself from deteriorating into pure throwaway parody by showcasing sheer technical ability and some serious songwriting chops. The utterly ripping 'Bring The Metal Back' is one of the best tracks on the EP and, as legend has it, was written in its entirety in the back of a Vauxhall Zafira. Apparently the band was on their way back from Wacken Open Air when they stopped at a petrol station to buy a book of Sudoku puzzles, instantly got bored and instead started writing the most ludicrous Skyrim lyrics they could think of… by the time they arrived back in the motherland of England, the demo of 'Bring The Metal Back' was completely written in Garageband on an iPad. A bunch of young dudes messing around on an iPad whilst driving back from a festival? You think that means it doesn't rock like a beast? Guess again, chump - there's rumours flying around that even before the EP was fully released (and before COVID hit) they were being tapped to play Bloodstock. I'm not kidding, and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised at all if that does eventually happen, because this shit is just built for a festival. You can easily picture it with huge pyrotechnic blasts, the crowd clapping and stomping along; and when after the solo in 'Man Of War' vocalist Jack Reynolds calls "ARE YOU READY? I WANNA HEAR YOU… COME OOOOONNNN!!!" you just know the band also wrote this stuff with that exact scenario in mind, seriously or otherwise.

The production is great for what it is (particularly fond of the keys, again) and the EP even flows fantastically well. The opening dyad of 'Battle Born' and 'Bring The Metal Back' are pure balls-to-the-wall metal splendour, all down picked chugs matched by storming/galloping double-kickers (plus a steady snare back beat for maximum bangitude) and huge ringing riffs, with the stars being the vocals and synth that steal the show with big, soaring and perfectly dumb melodies to lift your spirit to the sky and fill you with the METAL POWER. Then we hit the stadium-fodder third track 'Man Of War', which sounds like Judas Priest meets… well, Manowar. The brazen give-no-fucks homage of the name alone is amazing in itself, but when they also rhyme "war" with "war" an absurd amount of times and somehow make you want to laugh instead of put your head through a brick wall, you know you're onto a huge winner.

What's next? Why, it's time for the emotional "lighters in the air" ballad, of course. If it wasn't for the already established OTT vibe of the record the heartfelt hymn 'For Our Home' might seem a little too much… but NO! It's NEVER too much and the sugary sweet man-choir backing vox are just the icing on the cake. I can genuinely see a heap of drunk dudes in viking helmets with their arms around each other and tears running down their faces singing along to the chorus when these boys inevitably dominate a Eurofest sometime in future. With the ballad out of the way all that's then left to do is to bring it all home in victorious fashion, which final track 'Sovngarde Awaits' does with aplomb. Taking everything learnt from the rest of the EP and smashing it all together into one final dazzling charge for the finish, it's the perfect closer with elements of every track prior... and also, two words: synth solo. Oh, yeahhhhh.

Heading back to that awkward cheese analogy, Battle Born have created the sonic equivalent of delicious mozzarella. Everyone seems to love it and it's been spreading like wildfire. Their Facebook page has blown up with thousands of likes; they've even gotten Insta-props from folks like esteemed Metal Hammer reviewer Dom Lawson. Of course, by its very nature this sort of thing could easily fall flat for you and if you're the kind of person who either hates power metal OR takes it far too seriously (lol) then it might even do that. For everyone else however, grab your brothers. Strap on your shield. Raise your sword high, charge the enemy that cowers before you… live your dreams, and BRING THE METAL BACK!

(About time for that full-length now, isn't it boys?)

So, a brand new project self-title their debut EP and even have the first track be the band's title-song... It's another Black Sabbath moment! Do England's Battle Born strike with the same impact? Well, of course not - but that was my fault for setting the bar too high. I wouldn't dare disparage Battle Born, however. They strike with their own kind of impact, and it's one of assuredness. This nerdy quintet play power metal of the most tried-and-tested kind, citing the likes of Power Quest as their influences. Truth be told, these guys exude pure Manowar worship - certainly not a bad trait in itself - but attack our ears with far more sincerity, energy and pure balls than De Maio & co. have had for what feels like centuries. Considering this is a very first release from an unsigned outfit, Battle Born is of astonishingly high quality and any nitpicks in this review are only done out of love.

The Englishmen could not have made their point stronger than on the opening title-song "Battle Born". This is one of those 'if someone asked you what power metal sounds like, what would you show them?' moments. It sums up everything these guys stand for: generic (in a good way), cheesy as fuck (in a good way) and technically proficient. The orchestral accentuations are fantastic and never overshadow the brilliant musicianship; the structure keeps things familiar, ensuring audiences are not alienated; and the chorus - oh MAN the chorus! - is the kind of soaring, uplifting anthem to wreck your throat with. If you hear one power metal track this year, let it be this one. Battle Born swagger with sheer confidence, but always with a tongue planted firmly in the cheek. Yeah, we know this is more schlock about steel, swords, magic & dragons - but it's done with such a genuine manner. These guys are having the time of their lives playing heavy metal, and it shows.

When you have tracks like "Bring The Metal Back", how can you possibly be anything other than completely on their side? Beautifully cheesy major-key melodies, driving momentum, and the occasional chuggy riff make this a great live staple. Hell, all of these cuts would be a riot in a live setting. Occasionally, songs drag a little. There are some segments that probably should've been left on the cutting room floor. For example: the gang-shout section in the middle of "Bring The Metal Back" which lacks in power. They could have also cut off perhaps a minute or so from "Man Of War" but this is hardly offensive. In fact, it's the best song Manowar never wrote, intentional or not. The Southamptoners let some prog tinges sneak onto the finale, "Sovngarde Awaits", displaying an impressive songwriting potential for future releases.

The gem in Battle Born's crown, however, is track 4: "For Our Home". Easily the greatest ballad penned in the power metal genre for some time, it exhibits a simple, almost musical-theatre-esque, character which reaffirms my believe in the power of the ballad. Jack Reynold's vocals are pretty straightforward, not much vibrato going on, but he is perfectly decipherable, always in tune, and can illicit a wicked scream when pushed to it. Splendidly produced, well written, and packed with bags of fun, Battle Born is the power metal EP of 2020 to check out if you can't handle the grandiose pomposity of Blind Guardian or the ultra-sticky sweety melodies of Freedom Call. Grab a sword, don your loincloth, switch your brain off and sing along - loud!