Search - Steel Assassin :: War of the Eight Saints

War of the Eight Saints
Steel Assassin
War of the Eight Saints
Genre: Metal
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1

New CD from this legendary US Epic/Heavy Metal band!! Totally KILLER!!SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS 2007

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Steel Assassin
Title: War of the Eight Saints
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: CD BABY.COM/INDYS
Release Date: 4/8/2008
Genre: Metal
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 837101393737

Synopsis

Product Description
New CD from this legendary US Epic/Heavy Metal band!! Totally KILLER!!SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS 2007
 

CD Reviews

A Metal Classic!!!
Christopher Benvie | New Bedford, Ma USA | 07/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"War of the Eight Saints as a whole chronicles the exploits of Sir John Hawkwood and his mercenaries. A quote from the band:" We worked hard to capture the spirted of these historical and legendary stories that span past centuries. Mainly inspired by the exploits of 14th Century military legend Sir John Hawkwood and his "White Company" of mercenaries. War Of The Eight Saints delivers teh power and force that reflects the drama and intensity of the age." The album kicks of with the song "Hawkwood." If you've been a fan of Steel Assassin since the 80's, the first thing you'll notice on WOTES is the ferocity that John Falzone brings to the table as the new front man. His voice is sharp and crisp while he bellows out his metal cries.



"Hawkwood" also catches your ear immediately with the synchronized guitar styling of SA founder Kevin Curran and Mike Mooney. Immediately the casual listener will sense the tight-ness of the sound Steel Assassin brings. After this 6+ minute long gem of an opening track, the brutality continues right into the striking "Curse Of The Black Prince." Already only two songs in on WOTES and the lyrics are already blowing your mind. With a catchy chorus and fantastic stand out lines such as "One less traitor, one less lie..." grab hold of you and force you to sing them unknowingly throughout the remainder of the day. A video for "Curse Of The Black Prince" can be found the on the band's official MySpace page: myspace.com/steelassassin.



Three tracks in now, and if your ears aren't bleeding yet from blasting your stereos, well, they should be. "Hill Of Crosses" kicks in next. This song comes across as what will be the lead single off the record. It is somewhat of an encapsulating track that covers all aspects of WOTES. Vicious guitar riffs, bass lines and drums that will snap your neck.



The fourth track on the album, "Sword In The Stone" comes at you with a sound similar to a battle march. You feel as though Sir John Hawkwood and his mercenaries are kicking down your front door. This song just makes me want to march my way into an epic battle centuries ago. This song is just relentlessly brutal while at the same time audibly mesmerizing. The first time I heard this song, I likened it to an army of barbarians trampling a small village. I think that assessment still remains to be very close to the sound portrayed in "Sword In The Stone."



It's at this point we have reached my personal favorite part of the album; tracks 5, 6, & 7. Starting this trifecta of metal majestic mania is the song "Merchants Of Force." "Merchants" starts of eerily slow and soothing, similar to the morning after a massive battle has been won. You wake up and look around at all the countless bodies on the ground surrounding you that are just catching light touches of the sun, when the battle begins all over again. Falzone breaks in with declarations of empowerment for this troupe of mercenaries. This is the song on War Of The Eight Saints that will make any casual listener a fan of Steel Assassin. Approximately three and a half minutes into the song, one of the best breakdowns and uprisings in a song I've hear in a long time occurs - one that gave this guy chills. Now, I can't move on until I give my buddy Jon Grasso some props here. Jon got "Merchant of Force" tattooed on his left bicep. Metal.



Now, the spine tingling riff kicks in to "Bloodlust Quest" with accompanying vocals done by Amy Kolp, her voice gives an eerie sensuality to the brutality of the song. Sort of like a pleasure in pain idea. Amy Kolp's voice balances off Falzone's in the chorus amazingly well. Falzone's harsh battle cries are met with these soothing tones, up until the end of the track when they sing the chorus in unison, absolutely mesmerizing.



The last track in my personal trifecta of metal goodness on this album is "Tartarus," a track that will surely get you fired up. With a bit of speed metal edge on this track that loosely reminds me of Anthrax via the "State Of ..:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 />Euphoria" era, only much better. "Tartarus" serves a hard punch in your mouth just for good measure to be sure you are still paying attention to the audio assault that is coming your way. In this guide for your listening pleasure, you should at this point be grinding your teeth, and absolutely pumped up, ready to hit the battlefield.



On "Metalfire" the boys pay homage to their love of metal. Falzone proclaims "the fire of metal burns in the hearts of you and me." While listening to WOTES if this sentiment does not cross your mind then you cannot, I repeat, CANNOT be a true fan of heavy metal. This song embraces the culture and pride of metal and its on-going relevance in our hearts and minds. "Victory" is an instrumental track that reminds me of Thin Lizzy tremendously. The boys share an affinity for Lizzy and that influence is certainly detectable here. I could see this track fitting on Thin Lizzy's "Bad Reputation" album with no problems - yet it still works fantastically well here, amongst the other beasts unleashed on War Of The Eight Saints.



"Barabbas" in biblical text is often referenced as a notorious prisoner. Some might argue he was the pure definition of the term: mercenary. One way or the other, Barabbas was a man of brute force and powerful domination. It would only make sense that the track "Barabbas" reflects these same traits. A misunderstood mercenary set out to overthrow the Roman army, "Barabbas" was vengeful and vicious, as is this song. Just when you thought WOTES was allowing slack on the leashes of your ears, "Barabbas" comes in, knocking down your door and blowing out your eardrums.



The final and title track on the album, "War Of The Eight Saints" kicks in with a rolling thunder; a sign of things to come. This 11+ minute long opus comes at you like a storm, in waves of violent fits, followed by calm, and then finishes you off leaving only destroyed villages in its path. The depiction of the historical War Of The Eight Saints offers up a look at the violence that has bestowed history in the name of God.



As a whole, War Of The Eight Saints is hands down, one of, nay, THE most important metal album of 2007. It ushers out the terrible metal that is out there and brings forth quality metal, 20 years in the making. With lyrical sorcery and musical brilliance this album is a full on assault of your ears, Steel Assassin have put together one fine album that all metalheads should add to their collections.

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