Master of War

When it comes to heavy/power metal, I am always looking for something that manifests what is commonly referred to as “big dick energy”. It needs to have a certain something that I find on the harder-edged works of bands like Manilla Road and Visigoth, to name a few. I don’t actively hunt for stuff like that, seeing as it’s not my go-to genre, but when a release like that falls on my lap I end up getting hooked on it for days on end. Such is the case with Steel Arctus’ sophomore release, Master of War, whose comic book aesthetic made for quite the enticing first impression, and unsurprisingly encapsulated the music therein.

The trio presents us with 8 stomping heavy metal anthems, replete with thundering double bass, crunchy riffing, and gruff vocals that aren’t afraid to soar every once in a while. It’s distilled classic heavy metal essence, and it’s unwavering in its consistency to a fault. From the title track alone, the listener is greeted by some gloriously shreddy lead work, which is then followed by stomping verses, as well as a dramatic chorus that you just can’t help but sing along to, a running theme with this album. It’s such a finely crafted song that makes you think “Man, I hope the rest are as good”, something that actually happens, albeit with a caveat.

Like we said though, Steel Arctus are consistent, perhaps too much so. With the exception of “God of Fire”, “Cry For Redemption”, and “Black Mountains”, every other song (outro notwithstanding) feels like it follows the exact same template down to the tempo. And while none of these songs are bad in a vacuum, hearing a track like “Hear My Battlecry” near the end does inspire a feeling of déjà vu that hearkens back to the beginning. The aforementioned cuts stand out precisely because they break from the stomping anthemic metal mold in some capacity. “God of Fire” for one is a ballsy speedster and a necessary shot in the arm in terms of energy, whereas “Cry For Redemption” and “Black Mountains” are rather brooding, the latter in particular prominently featuring acoustic guitars during its runtime. Though there is some crazy soloing that appears throughout the album, especially on “God of Fire”, I can’t help but wish there was something more in terms of moods and pace.

That being said, even the more plain tunes manage to stick somewhat thanks to Tasos Lazaris’ vocal work. The man channels all of the genre’s greats while still maintaining a character of his own, and he sells the fuck out of those choruses. Whether it’s a gruffer midrange supplemented by choirs on “Midnight Priest”, or the erratic wails of “God of Fire”, he gives it his all and I can’t help but love him. His efforts, coupled with the fact that the band knows how to write catchy vocal lines, help alleviate the fatigue that would appear had a lesser vocalist been in his place.

Though the music is as muscular as the scantily clad barbarian on the cover, I can’t help but wish Steel Arctus flexed their own creative muscles a bit more. Anthemic heavy metal is great and all, and it’s obvious that they know how to write a tune, but you can only have so much of a good thing before you get a little tired of it. That being said, Master of War is an absolute blast while it’s on, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t sing along to every chorus here. Definitely check this out if you need a fix of well-written heavy metal.

Highlights: Master of War, God of Fire, Cry For Redemption, Black Mountains

I have to admit, it was the artwork that pulled me in for ‘Master Of War’. I’m a sucker for arctic images on album covers and thought it was a new thing for a band of this stripe. The fact Steel Arctus hail from Greece had me pegging them as epic metal from the off, and I was right about that, but there’s a little more going on here than that. This is certainly full of big, booming riffs straight out of the Battleroar school, but there’s tons of atmosphere too, as well as quite a few nods to European power metal, albeit of the heavier, more visceral variety.

This is one of those albums where the cover says it all. It’s mighty, it’s proud, it’s loaded with chest-beating choruses and riffs that would make even the most feminine warrior march into battle. They stick to a mid-paced attack for the most part, naturally hammering out riffs in grand Manowar style, but they dip their toes into the folk metal stream occasionally, too, as seen on album highlight ‘Cry For Redemption’, which is full of wintry keys and whistles. The power metal comes in mostly during the choruses when the double bass kicks in on tunes like ‘Midnight Priest’, definitely the catchiest cut here. For an indie release, the production is enormous, but not without the rough feel of bands like Doomsword, Holy Martyr, and Manilla Road, but unlike some of those bands, ‘Master Of War’ doesn’t take an Ice Age to open up. It’s pretty agreeable right from the off. Vocalist Tasos Lazaris has a jagged voice not a million miles away from Arrayan Path howler Nicholas Leptos, possessing one hell of a high register wail evidenced by that supreme closing scream on the title track. I wish he’d calm down a little bit sometimes, as occasionally the vocals are a tad overbearing, but on the whole, he’s the band’s biggest asset.

There’s absolutely nothing new here, just pounding metal riffage and epic songs about metal things with chilly keyboards. If your tastes run to bands like Majesty, Manowar, Wotan, Visigoth and the like, you’re going to beat your chest like hell to this.

Greece is known as the cradle of civilization, but nowadays it really should be known as the modern cradle of triumphant epic heavy metal. For some reason the 2020 debut of these guys went under my radar (a mistake I was quick to remedy as it proved to be kickass) but Master of War caught me by surprise!

On their second attempt, Steel Arctus manage to evolve, polish and take all the right steps towards their eternal search of a masterpiece. Balancing between USPM and the EU side of the Atlantic, they offer a great mix of old school heavy/power metal, mostly driven by the soaring vocals of Tasos Lazaris and the catchy choruses. The songs have an overall nice balance between the more epic/grandiose moments and the Judas Priest heavy riffing formula and the whole band has brought their A-game. Special mention to the folky "Cry for Redemption" which utilizes bagpipes (!) and was a very welcome surprise that added some diversity.

Nash G’s guitars do most of the heavy lifting with an abundance of riffs and a very sweet tone, the bass and drums nicely form a concrete rhythm section, but the undeniable show stealer is Tasos Lazaris and his over-the-top vocal performance. I was very impressed back when I reviewed “Atlantis” from his other band, but here he is on a whole other level. Great memorable vocal lines and choruses, fantastic sense of harmonies and some impossible notes, I think that between this and his other stellar performance on “Battle Symphony” (to be reviewed soon!) he is proving to be one of the better voices of his generation and 2022 has been his year.

The production is clear, tight and modern sounding, thankfully nothing close to the digital overperforming drum machine metal of today and the artwork/layout with the impressive 20 page booklet looks great and works well within the setting and concept of the band.

On the flipside, there are some minor annoyances. While the album sounds great and very easy on the ears, there are times that I found songwriting to be a bit safe and formulaic, there was no coloring outside the box and the repetition had me drifting away before getting sucked back in when a change in pace took place. The central point of all the songs are the choruses, but at times it felt like I was listening to a bunch of (very good) singles rather than a complete album from start to finish. Songs are great, but at times I felt like they lacked persuasion and gravitas.

Nitpicking aside, Master of War is a great album, surely one of the best in the genre for this year and many of the songs included here have already been on a steady rotation in my playlists. And while the titular character wields a giant hammer, these guys have all the arrows in their quiver to eventually hit dead center and give us an album proportionate to their undeniable talent.

Fav tracks: Cry For Redemption, Midnight Priest, Master Of War