Agent Steel

Savage Grace – Sign of the Cross Review

By Steel Druhm on May 6, 2023 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 38 comments

“Savage Grace are a band now relegated pretty deeply into the dustbin of history, with only a small cadre of elder metal aficionados remembering their brief but entertaining forays into speed/traditional/NWoBHM from 1983 to 1987. They appeared on Metal Massacre II in 1982, but unlike other acts on that compilation like Warlord, Armored Saint, and Overkill, they never got to that next stage of their career, though they should be famous for some of the worst album art in metal history.” Grace in your face.

Riot City – Electric Elite Review

By Steel Druhm on October 12, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 87 comments

“If you’re going to put a jaguar with cybernetic modifications and laser eyes on your album cover and frame it with lightning, you’re probably a fan of metallic excess and overkill. Welcome to the sophomore outing by Riot City, purveyors of a wild and highly over-the-top brand of retro 80s metal. Electric Elite sees them picking up where 2019s Burn the Night left off, burning everything in sight (night) with stratospheric vocals and frenzied old school riffage turned to 11.8.” 49% riot, 51% elite.

Iron Fate – Crimson Messiah Review

By Steel Druhm on December 17, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 16 comments

“2021 was a mightily backloaded year of metal. I didn’t love a lot of stuff from January through August and I was coasting along with a very low yearly rating average. Since August however, it seems every other album I dive into is a blast and it’s done major damage to that once pristine median. Now comes the classic metal stylings of Iron Fate to play mischief with Steel ‘s ledger of maths.” Let olde acquaintance be not forgotten.

Agent Steel – No Other Godz Before Me Review

By Steel Druhm on March 29, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 31 comments

“Ah, the never ending Agent Steel saga sprouts a new, fantastical chapter. As a youthful metal maniac when Agent Steel’s 1985 debut, Skeptics Apocalypse entered orbit, I was blown away by their Judas Priest on Super Soldier formula sound and the stratospheric, air raid vocals of the enigmatic Jon Cyriis. To this day I still hold that album and 1987 follow up Unstoppable Force close to my heart, mostly due to the over the over-the-top vocal performance of Mr. Cyriis. After Unstoppable Force, the band hit the skids, with the mercurial Cyriis leaving, returning, leaving, being adducted by aliens, and other sorts of drama and Machiavellian conspiracies unfolding.” Gross encounters of the worst kind.

Significant Point – Into the Storm Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on February 25, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 72 comments

“Significant Point. This band name has caused some amount of controversy around the AMG beer cooler for its apparent strangeness. Alternative band names such as Topic Sentence and Eminent Predicate were tossed around with mirth and glee, and the sniggering appeared to drown out the thunder in the east, but I still heard the distant rumblings. Significant Point exists to make a significant point potent statement: heavy metal never dies.” Point taken.

Sölicitör – Spectral Devastation Review

By Holdeneye on April 27, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 93 comments

“2019 was a dream for me when it came to reviews: nearly 20% of the albums I covered were released by bands within 150 miles of my house, and of those several can be found in my own Puget Sound area of Western Washington. Quayde LaHüe and Mortiferum impressed me, and the now infamous “Skelator Incident” induced heretofore unseen levels of arousal and nearly resulted in my actual firing from this site. Naturally, I couldn’t resist the temptation to grab the debut of Seattle’s Sölicitör.” Criminal sölicitatiön.

Metalian – Vortex Review

By Steel Druhm on July 9, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, High Roller Records, NWOBHM, Reviews, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, 26 comments

“Canada is in the midst of a speed metal renaissance at the moment, with bands like Skull Fist and Riot City blazing burning pathways back to the 80s. Now you can add Metalian to the backward focused mob rush. Their third opus Vortex is a shameless throwback dose of speed mixed with traditional and NWoBHM ideas, designed and executed to sound totally natural in 1984. That means tossing Agent Steel, Razor and Judas Priest in a burlap sack and shaking furiously to see what happens.” Dad metal happens.

Riot City – Burn the Night Review

By Steel Druhm on May 25, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, No Remorse Records, Retro Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 61 comments

“Before one can burn the night, one must first own the night. That’s exactly what Riot City set out to do on their rip roaring retro 80s metal debut. Properly done, retro metal is synonymous with unbridled enthusiasm, fun, and a middle finger to all authority everywhere. It should overflow like a latrine at a 4-day metal festival with in-your-face riffs, pounding drums, and vocals higher than Colorado post-2014. Nuance, subtly and restraint all must be forsaken and expunged and animal spirits embraced. Riot City know these truisms and live them as they rock hard and ride free like the 80s never ended.” Burning the midnight steel.

Armory – The Search Review

By Steel Druhm on July 9, 2018 in 2018, High Roller Records, Reviews, Speed Metal, Swedish Metal, Speed Metal, 26 comments

“Before the thrash explosion of the 80s truly took off under the guidance of rising stars like Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, there was its ugly predecessor, speed metal. Basically, traditional metal played faster, speed metal often approximated the sound of a record spinning at the wrong speed. It was a loose, unrefined and fun style often lacking the hard-edge of thrash. I was sad to see it all but die out by 1987, and Sweden’s Armory apparently feel the same way, so they painstakingly recreated the speed metal sound on their sophomore outing, The Search.” Speed still kills.

Masters of Disguise – Alpha/Omega Review

By Steel Druhm on October 19, 2017 in 2017, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Limb Music, Reviews, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 66 comments

“Hey look, the weirdest inside joke in all of metal is still going strong. Backstory: Masters of Disguise is a throwback speed metal act living and breathing to pay homage to a particularly obscure band from the 80s called Savage Grace. Who, you ask? Exactly. They were a good band but barely got any traction or notoriety despite a pretty solid outing with 1986s After the Fall From Grace. Now Masters of Disguise (named after Grace’s debut album) seek to revive their hero’s nonexistent legacy due to some highly tenuous ties to the original singer.” First Will and Grace comes back and now Savage Grace too?