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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Forgotten Gems-Medieval Steel-s/t

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Medieval Steel formed in Memphis, Tennessee back in the early 1980's. They soon cranked out this four track self-titled EP in 1984. The sound here is a mix between classic style metal such as Iron Maiden, Jag Panzer and Omen mixed in with early prog-metal like Queensryche and Crimson Glory. Since there are only four songs I'll take them indivually. For "Battle beyond the stars" I am guessing they had received enjoyment from the 1980 Roger Corman film of the same name. This one kind of sounds a little like early Crimson Glory with a pounding beat. It's basic and very controlled, but tight. "Warlords" is heavier with a churning riff reminding me some of Omen, but the vocals are of the higher variety reminding me more of early Geoff Tate or Midnight from Crimson Glory."Echoes" is a very mellow track that almost feels out of place. Not bad, but not so much metal. It features the vocals above all else and they sound fine yet this still sounds like a song that might have been tucked away in a soundtrack for a mid-80s romance film. The solos help though too. "Medieval Steel" is the real gem here. A more expansive track with great melodies and a real bite to it. A definite headbanger with great squealing riffs and some mighty vocals. I loved three out of four songs and the other was just alright. Still a definite gem that I never heard until recently although I had heard of the band for years. The band reformed back in 2005 and were active in recent years. I have heard so many bands over the years, but it's still great to find albums like this with so much to offer.

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