Steelbound

On their seventh album, symphonic metal troupe Battle Beast offers a rousing, uptempo blast of positivity. Vocalist Noora Louhimo hoists the proverbial chalice high on the all-for-one, one-for-all anthem “Here We Are” as the Finnish band seamlessly fuses power metal and dancey synths with a Eurovision pop sensibility. The title track invokes ’80s sports flicks alongside Scandinavian metal and soft rock from the same era, while “Last Goodbye” turns up the aggression with a more syncopated, shred-heavy vibe courtesy of lead guitarist Joona Björkroth. Not to be outdone, “Angel of Midnight” splits the difference between Bonnie Tyler and Pat Benatar—and makes absolutely no apologies while doing it.

Finnish power metallers Battle Beast keep it cheesy on unapologetically OTT, undeniably entertaining seventh outing Steelbound…

Time is flying indecently fast. BATTLE BEAST celebrate their 20th year as band this year, and yet they still have a strong air of underdog militancy driving everything they do. An absurdly entertaining live band, not least due to the presence of peerless singer Noora Louhimo, the Finns have spent tw...

A review of Steelbound by Battle Beast, available worldwide October 17th via Nuclear Blast.