Finnish Power Metal band, Battle Beast, is back in 2015 with the most epic album of the year so far, “Unholy Savior”.  The incredibly energetic and anthemic band has a reputation for creating fantastic Traditional Metal sounds.  Their previous self titled album was a hit, containing several gems like Out of Control and Black Ninja.  That album set high expectations, because of the start to finish quality and excellent Power Metal tracks back to back.  It wasn’t the best album of 2013, but more of an unsung hero.  After that album, you expected something of similar caliber, but “Unholy Savior” is a step above.  If you like dragon slaying, battle, and epic soundtracking music, this album is definitely to your liking.  The first time I heard Battle Beast, I was instantly blown away by the immense power from every area of the band.  The vocals are insanely powerful and diverse along with melodic and speedy guitars and perfectly executed speed drumming.  The new album is all of that and more.

 

“Unholy Savior” is an all out epic Power Metal album with everything a fan could want.  The guitars are all over the place, technical, fast, and squealing, adding so much dynamic to the music.  The vocals are powerful and very well executed, each word is easily heard and sang with a true passion.  The drums are a good base and add a controlled chaos sound to the music, making it very dynamic.  I have trouble hearing the bass in the faster parts however, meaning the music lacks that nice bottom end.  And with most Power Metal albums in the 2010s and even 2000s, a lot of the tracks sound very similar and you tend to mistake one for another.

 

Lionheart, Unholy Savior, Sea of Dreams, and Angel Cry are my main highlights of the album.  Lion Heart opens the album fast and furious, with an incredibly catchy vocal line and awesome guitar work.  Unholy Savior fits the whole theme of the album perfectly with mind blowing instrumentation and a great anthemic theme.  Sea of Dreams is more melodic and more ballad-like than other tracks, containing other instruments like a flute and acoustic guitar.  Angel Cry is a moving epic end gamer to the album, summing up the power of the album perfectly.  Speed and Danger is also a fantastic track and one of the fastest tracks Battle Beast has put out for awhile.  These are just some of the great tracks on the album to give you an insight of what to expect.

 

“Unholy Savior” is a spectacular Power Metal album all the way through.  I really enjoyed the subtle 80’s vibe throughout the album as well.  The evocative 80’s sound reminded me of Journey’s use of synths and lead guitar in a good way.  Battle Beast know how to take sounds from an older generation of Metal and Rock and transplant it into modern times, so that these talents can be accessed by a newer generation.  I dare to say that “Unholy Savior” impressed me more than the previous two Hammerfall albums, even though that is blasphemy to my own ears.  Battle Beast is newer and has a whole new sound, not yet stale and watered down yet.  I expect this album and Battle Beast as a whole to be revered and respected across the seas and genres.  Battle Beast could be around for quite awhile.

 

Overall Album Rating 8/10