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Strider: Dominion Of Steel
Strider - Dominion Of Steel Album Art Work

Strider: Dominion Of Steel

Traditional Heavy/Power Metal
3.5/5.0

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Lion Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 27.11.2019 | Released: 29.11.2019

Apparently, little is known about Finland's Strider. Their online presence is limited to Facebook, where there is no biography of the band. Lion Music provides little in their one-sheet for the music press. However, we can deduce a few things, some common threads, from both sources.

Strider - Click For Larger Image

Strider

One, Strider is quintet, featuring twin guitars. Two, they play traditional heavy power metal. Three, their principal and singular influence is "keep it true" metal legends Manowar. Actually, the Manowar influence is mentioned extensively in the press release. Which makes me wonder if Strider was a Manowar cover band in its infancy. Finally, according to an unnamed band member, the songs within their debut long player, Dominion Of Steel, have been works in progress for the last ten years. To flesh these things out a little more, Strider regals you with twin guitar harmony and ripping leads, over the gallop and groove of a tough rhythm section, with vocalist Niko Mattila offering clean, melodic, yet assertive vocals. Holding true to the traditional metal motif, gang vocals back up Mattila on many songs. Lyrically, the songs are about all things metal like metal, steel (and more steel), blades and battles, and mentioning the band name quite often. Ergo, you have Strike Of The Strider, Stride, Stride, Stride!, and, of course, the most gratuitous, We Are Strider.

While the Manowar reference can be debated, Strider delivers on their promise of traditional "keep it true" heavy metal. If like your metal with gallop and groove and epic guitar solos you will enjoy Strider's Dominion Of Steel. After all, we haven't had a new Manowar album in five years.


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The Bottom Line

While the Manowar reference can be debated, Strider delivers on their promise of traditional "keep it true" heavy metal. If like your metal with gallop and groove and epic guitar solos you will enjoy Strider's Dominion Of Steel.

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