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April 2024

• War Grave: War Grave EP
• Six By Six: Beyond Shadowland
• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
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March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
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February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
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January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
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• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
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• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

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Steel Raiser: Unstoppable

Heavy/Power/Speed Metal

3.5/5.0

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Iron Shield Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 16.07.2015

Pop quiz. How many metal bands, mostly traditional, have the word "steel" in their name? If you head over to metal-archives.com and search for the same, you'll find 211 bands with "steel" in their names. Yet that doesn't count probably another 100 that are still unknown and haven't been cataloged. So Steel Raiser, from Sicily returns with their latest, Unstoppable.

Steel Raiser

With the review of the previous album, Regeneration, my conclusion was simple: enjoy the classic twin guitar powered melodic power metal; bear patiently with the vocals. I would suggest the same for Unstoppable, perhaps with a caveat or two. Then it struck me, after listening to the album. My ambivalence rises from the simple fact that vocalist Alfonso Giordano sounds a lot like Udo Dirkschneider, only slightly more high pitched. And so the band sounds like across between old Accept and new U.D.O. Curiously, however, Giordano can be much more melodic and harmonious on several songs, notably Scent Of Madness and Dreaming Of You. Across the album, though he uses different voices, he also seems more controlled and focused than the last record. But, fundamentally, the best thing about any Steel Raiser album is the heavy metal music. Yes, there's the galloping speed. Yet the best part is simply the twin guitar harmony throughout with the fiery and thrilling leads the icing on the cake. So, I still think Giordano as merely a clone of another singer but, after two albums, my ears have adjusted to him. Others may feel different. Best cuts: Scent Of Madness, Dreaming Of You, Unstoppable, and The Last Tears.

Steel Raiser - Decapitator

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

With the review of the previous album, Regeneration, my conclusion was simple: enjoy the classic twin guitar powered melodic power metal; bear patiently with the vocals. I would suggest the same for Unstoppable.

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Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]