Spartan Warrior-s/t

Metal Mind
1984/2009

The NWOBHM was such a massive movement that some bands were inevitably left behind and even forgotten to an extent. One of those overlooked bands is Spartan Warrior. Even though it is self-titled this was actually their second full length offering. The thing that struck me first about this band was that they cross the line between hard rock and metal. Not so much a blend, but more that they take on one style on one song and then dip into the other style on the next track. The influences are definitely varied as they show shades of Saxon, Scorpions, Ted Nugent and a handful of others. There is definitely some 70's hard rock flavors tossed into their mix, but they sound like some other bands from the NWOBHM as well. The bass is often pumped up enough to really add some support. The drum sound is loud, but not always as heavy as it could be. The vocals are perhaps the part of their sound that adapted easiest to the different approaches that they attempted. Above all else they approach most of the songs with a rough and dirty feel to them no matter what the pace is. That's what really helps to set them apart. If there is a shortcoming it's that several songs are more basic than they needed to be. I found myself hoping they would take a few more chances and dig a little deeper, but that didn't always happen. Still Spartan Warrior are certainly one of those bands that perhaps were unfairly overlooked back at the end of the NWOBHM scene.