ALBUM REVIEW: Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel – Battle Born

With a cascade of synth melodies attached to high energy European inspired power metal, BATTLE BORN set forth with their debut album. Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel picks up on the momentum set in motion by 2022’s self-titled EP. The Southampton-based four-piece have taken inspiration from the stories found within Skyrim, combining these themes with a well-established musical genre that they have sought to inject with a new youthful exuberance.

Wind Caller sets up the album with choral layers leading into staccato power chords before the full band sweeps in. It’s chock full of everything that make power metal exciting and energetic.  The vocals are delivered with a passionate and frantic speed to keep pace with the charging drums and galloping riffs. The urgency is intensely engaging and draws all attention to the key change chorus and memorable hooks that firmly catch the ear.

This delivery is key to everything power metal and is found throughout this album in abundance. That’s not to say it becomes too formulaic. The likes of Blood And Fire, When Empires Dies and Meridia all offer up something unique and tailored to how BATTLE BORN have developed their sound. They wear there inspirations proudly, but not in a plagiaristic way. There’s a lot to enjoy and many aspects will have you reaching for the replay button as well as joining in with the anthemic choruses with unashamed glee.

There is a bit of dodgy step with Power Force. Arguably the weakest track of the 11 on offer, its predictable song structure leads the uninspired lyrics hanging out on their own somewhat. That being said, it does have a catchy chorus and will likely get caught in the minds of many. Whether every track is a necessary is debatable. When compared to the superb closing tracks Ride North For Winterhold and Sky Guard You, the aforementioned Power Force and the softer, balladlike The Endless Grey come across as filler, which is a shame as a debut should be explosive from start to finish to nail the statement of intent.

Understandably, a good album should have as much dynamic interest as the tracks on it. An ebb and flow to the musical journey is crucial to establishing a standout release. However, it’s not always perfectly achieved. There’s nothing wrong with a power metal ballad, however, The Endless Grey appears to have a lacklustre quality for the majority of its near five-minute runtime. The big vocal scream to signify the final cadence is powerful but a bit predictable and doesn’t stick the landing which leaves the whole track a bit forgettable. Production wise, the album exemplifies all the hallmarks of European power metal. The sweeping string samples sit well against the searing melodic lines of the guitars and the vocals absolutely soar above the main instrumentation. The synth lines fall into place and drive the energetic pace of much of the music; they successfully add more to the wider instrumentation rather then being a distraction.

BATTLE BORN are clearly a talented quartet and are capable of producing some fine ear-worm inducing and highly entertaining power metal. With any missteps aside in terms of including potentially too much filler on a debut, they have nevertheless created a fine album. The closer Sky Guard You alone is a showcase for what this band are capable of with its intricately layered melodies and outrageously catchy chorus hooks.  Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel will surely appeal to many who are already familiar with their sound as well as fans of the wider genre.

Rating: 7/10

Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel is set for release on May 12th via Prosthetic Records.

Like BATTLE BORN on Facebook.