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Crying Steel: Stay Steel
Crying Steel - Stay Steel Music Review

Crying Steel: Stay Steel

Heavy Metal
5.0/5.0

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Pride & Joy Music
Releasing: 15.06.2018
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 29.05.2018

While Italy's Crying Steel has it's roots in the Eighties heavy metal scene, they've had greater success since they reformed in 2006. A new album came in 2007 with The Steel Is Back, which was followed six years later with Time Stands Steel. But the band's biggest problem has been been keeping a steady vocalist. They've had four different ones in same period of time. Now, as something of a surprise, Crying Steel returns with vocal legend Tony Mills (Shy, TNT) at the microphone for their latest long player, Stay Steel. One wonders how soon he will bail on the band.

Crying Steel Band Photo

Crying Steel

Perhaps the best way to describe Crying Steel's sound is the most simple one. Rooted in the NWoBHM tradition, Crying Steel plays heavy metal rock. To expand that a bit more, Crying Steel takes twin guitar harmony in riffs and leads, combines it with a dynamic rhythm section for gallop, and then wraps it in a hard rock groove. Then there's the addition of Mill's soaring clean metal vocals, backed up by the band's gang vocals. While they don't sound like the legendary Judas Priest, Crying Steel works the same formula. They want you to bang your head, do head thrashing windmills, but also tap your toes.

With Stay Steel, you get twelve heavy metal rockers over 54 minutes. That's excellent bang your head for your buck (or Euro; buck sounds better). Catchy and speedy Priest-like rockers come with Crank It Up, Raise Your Hell, Speed Of Light, and the razor sharp riffage of Name Of The Father. With something like Warriors the speed is dialed back for more marching and steady heavy metal. Barricades turns almost entirely on speed metal, yet still finds time to drop in a catchy refrain. For Born In The Fire you get a light start with acoustic guitar over synth orchestration before turning into steady, then rising, heavy metal anthem.

Suffice to say, with some skill, Crying Steel easily crafts some entertaining melodic heavy metal rock. Stay Steel had me recalling heavy metal's glory days in the late Seventies to Eighties. That's a good thing. Easily recommended.




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The Bottom Line

With some skill, Crying Steel easily crafts some entertaining melodic heavy metal rock. Stay Steel had me recalling heavy metal's glory days in the late Seventies to Eighties. That's a good thing. Easily recommended.

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