Usually I'm a nitpicker when it comes to heavy metal. I get mental blocks whenever I find an element that doesn't please me, be it mediocre vocals, poor musicianship or bad production values on modern releases. But then a few handpicked bands come along that make me throw all those criteria right out the window, just because they grasp the essence of what TRUE metal is so firmly, they leave no room for "sterile" criticizing. One such band is Hyborian Steel from Missouri.

Classic heavy/epic U.S. metal is what you'll find here, along the lines of Manilla Road and Omen for the most part (though the track "Pirates of the Black Coast" brought Running Wild to mind!). The production is mediocre at best and the singer (who's accent sounds strangely Italian btw) has some nice ideas and tons of passion, but needs quite a bit of polishing. But none of that really matters! Because the songwriting is so solid and produces such a genuinely 80's epic atmosphere, that you're instantly hooked and can't help but give these guys a huge HAIL! Just listen to tracks like the opener "Hyborian Steel" and the mega killer HYMN "Eyes of the Serpent", a track so atmospheric and kick ass it almost brings me to tears! The Conan inspired lyrics and themes are another huge plus for me!

"An age undreamt of" isn't flawless and it certainly won't appeal to "modern" listeners. However it manages to weave the magic that classic bands like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol and Omen generated back in the day, and for that Hyborian Steel deserve our support!

Prepare to face the eyes of the Serpent!

p.s: Now that I think about it, the singer's name (Howie Roberts) sounds suspiciously like a Robert Howard tribute! Plus, though the band hails from the U.S. I still think he has an Italian accent!


http://www.myspace.com/hyboriansteel

Review by: Asgardlord