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May 2023

• Renaisance Rock Orchestra: Ice Age Cometh
• Imperium: Never Surrender
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[ More Music Reviews ]

Ritual Steel: V

Traditional Heavy Metal

3.5/5.0

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Pure Steel Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 23.10.2019 | Released: 25.10.2019

Drummer Martin Zellmer has been a fixture in the German metal underground for better than 25 years, serving many bands in the process. His main band, Ritual Steel, has been around in some shape or form since 2001. The most recent version has been pared down to the trio of John Cason on vocals, Sven Boge on guitars and, of course, Zellmer, of course, on drums. After a six year studio hiatus, Ritual Steel returns with their aptly titled fifth album, V.

Ritual Steel

What you can expect from Ritual Steel is simply traditional heavy metal, following in NWoBHM tradition. Being a band led by a drummer, you'd expect many songs to be advanced by Zellmer's drum work, and you would be right. This is notable in songs such as The Evil Elite, Confrontation On The Frontlines, Civil Unrest, and especially Does Tomorrow Exist, where his drums establish a marching pace before Boge's guitar line rises. But Boge's guitar lines are no second fiddle to the drums. Within Ritual Steel and Kingdom Of Death his sharp riffs both lead and drive the song. Alternatively, for Doomonic Power, guitar and drums pair together to establish the rhythm and groove. Of course, in each song Boge gets to rip into a frenzy of fiery solos. In this mix, John Cason offers traditional, yet slightly pitched, heavy metal vocals.

Essentially, I found Ritual Steel's V to offer solid, but mostly derivative, traditional heavy metal with little surprising moments of novelty. Two listens were enough for this review, but I probably won't spin the album again. Nevertheless, if you like classic and traditional heavy metal, Ritual Steel is definitely worth investigating.

Mick Devine: Hear Now

AOR Melodic Rock

4.5/5.0

The last we heard from vocalist and songwriter Mick Devine was the second coming of cult UK AOR melodic rock band, Seven and 2016's Shattered, a phenomenal album ... [ Read More ]

Essentially, I found Ritual Steel's V to offer solid, but mostly derivative, traditional heavy metal with little to no surprising moments of novelty. Nevertheless, if you like classic and traditional heavy metal, Ritual Steel is definitely worth investigating.

Alphabetical Index

This experience deserves mention for one very good reason: Finland's One Desire is one of the best classic AOR melodic hard rock bands in the genre and, perhaps, the world, right now So, I also apologize, in ... [ Read More ]