Battle Born: Ride North For Winterhold
“We had some ideas for breakdowns but it divided the room a little bit,” laughs BATTLE BORN guitarist Will Kerr. “I think we all kind of feel that people wrote great songs in the eighties, even if the production wasn’t always amazing, but since then people have tried different things to make them more interesting. But the fundamental basics just are always great. Three or four minutes, verse/chorus…”
He’s talking about the writing for the band’s debut album. BATTLE BORN are relative newcomers but they’ve made some serious waves in their short lifetime. A couple of well-received singles and a reputation for energetic live shows has landed them a deal with Prosthetic Records, and they’ve got a real shot at being the UK’s next power metal hopefuls. And they’ve achieved this by keeping things as authentic as possible. The south coast four-piece are big fans of traditional power metal and while they weren’t entirely averse to modern flourishes, looked to the classics for inspiration.
The end result is Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel, a record that sounds like it was written especially for people who worship at the altar of DIO and could recite the lyrics to the first three HELLOWEEN albums from memory. It’s an upbeat collection of songs with massive choruses, fast riffs and the obligatory ballad. In Will’s own words, it was made for big singalongs at German metal festivals. It’s influenced by the Elder Scrolls games (Skyrim especially), and while it’s definitely not cool, it is loads of fun.
The band’s origins can be traced back to a car journey in 2018. On their way home from that year’s Wacken Open Air, they battled hangovers and exhaustion by writing Bring The Metal Back, the first BATTLE BORN song, on an iPad. What started as a way to pass the time on a long drive turned into a studio-based project, which then evolved into a full-blown band. Their initial plans were delayed by the outbreak of coronavirus, but they’re now on a mission to help spread their love of power metal across Britain’s green and pleasant land.
That’s going to be a challenge. While we’ve seen some promising developments recently with SABATON headlining Wembley Arena (twice) and POWERWOLF becoming increasingly popular, power metal has always been a niche market this side of the channel.
“It’s definitely underrated in this country. The reaction to it here, especially when you compare it to Europe, it’s nowhere near as popular as it is over there,” says drummer Charlie Lamacraft-Perrett, although he does see the positive side. “Whenever I’ve been to the shows there’s a sense of camaraderie. It’s uplifting in a very genuine way. And I think the message of togetherness can be really positive.”
This should resonate if you’ve ever been to a power metal show. There’s a lack of pretension around the genre and whether it’s a sold-out Camden Roundhouse or a pub with twelve people in, the gigs almost always have upbeat atmospheres. There’s a remarkable amount of emotional depth as well. To the casual observer, power metal is all swords, loincloths and cheese, but when it hits right, it can be genuinely moving. Nowhere is that more obvious than on Sky Guard You, the closing track of the album.
“It’s a ballad without being a ballad,” explains Will. “It’s got all those hard-hitting emotional cornerstones, but it doesn’t fall into the cliches of power metal ballads – which we’ve also fallen into on an earlier song! It’s still fast and got a big chorus to sing along with.” He’s not underselling it. The song is a very romantic and bittersweet number, and it has some of the most touching lyrics we’ve heard in years, but it still manages to be a barnstorming anthem. It’s a classic example of how to write an absolute gut punch of a finish and it ends the record on a soaring, tear-jerking high.
At the other end of the ZX-Spectrum, there’s loads of light-hearted fare. Power Force, Wind Caller and When Empires Die are all galloping riff-laden delights, but arguably the best is Dragon Heart. It’s a spirited and energetic number that already feels like a classic, and if you haven’t done so already, go and check it out on YouTube. You won’t find many music videos that recapture the look and vibe of 8-bit computer games so well. It’s also a suitable introduction to the band’s mascot; a human/bear hybrid warrior with chiselled abs and a needlessly large axe. He’s called Battle Bjorn, because of course he is.
“I’m so proud of that video. We started the process in January last year and we found so many people who were up for it but couldn’t commit and had other projects in the way. Then we found somebody who could make it work. It only took fifteen months!” Charlie beams, barely holding back his enthusiasm. “We were so pleased, he kept us updated as he was going and it was great to see it come to life. We wanted it to be like a side-scrolling game and he’s done so well.”
“So many videos are just a band going into the woods, it’s oversaturated! We wanted to do something different,” Will adds. “It would be nice to do more but the turnaround time was quite stressful. We had to have the song ready way before even getting it commissioned. I’d love to do it again, but we’d have to make it work.”
Whether they ever repeat this style of video remains to be seen, but for now, BATTLE BORN have a promising future. They’ve got an excellent first album under their collective belts and as the UK finally starts to embrace power metal, have a good chance of being our next homegrown breakout acts. As much as they love the traditional though, there’s one area where they’ve embraced modernity; the production. Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel has a glossy and contemporary sheen thanks to their producer, ORDEN OGAN frontman Seeb Levermann.
“He knows how to make a proper-sounding modern power metal album,” says Charlie. “In a few years’ time, when we’ve got more albums out, I wouldn’t want to go back to this one and think it sounds awful.”
Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel is out now via Prosthetic Records.
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