The List of Steel is upon you!! Now you will know trve power and glory as Steel Druhm‘s Top Ten(ish) unfolds and expands to fill all the metalverse.
Overkill
Heavy Moves Heavy 2023 – AMG’s Ultimate Workout Playlist
Do you even lift, brah? If so, we have the soundtrack to your bumper plate annihilation. Grow or die at the AMG exercise vault.
Sadus – The Shadow Inside Review
“The late 90s may have seen Sadus wandering too deep into (then) modern, groovy, and progressive sounds, and the 2006 offering Out for Blood leaning further into weird synth intros, drop-tuned guitars, thrash heresy. But, at the core of their most beloved outings, the backbone of Sadus was always a neck-snapping, zig-zag riffcraft.” Unsung but vicious.
Overkill – Scorched Review
“If you told me back in the 80s that New Jersey’s most pugnacious metal act, Overkill would still be kicking and screaming in 2023, I would have thought your brain was rotten to the core. Yet here we are 38 years after their debut EP and along comes album number 20, Scorched! While I’ve found something to enjoy on every Overkill outing, 2019sThe Wings of War had serious issues with bloat and sometimes underwhelming writing. I harvested the best cuts and moved on, rarely revisiting once my reviewing duties were complete. As a lifelong fan, I certainly came into Scorched hoping for more.” No really, Overkill will never die.
Trastorned – Into the Void Review
“Wheat dies fast; chaff lives on forever. What that means for thrash, I don’t know, because that genre will relive the good ole days until the barn burns down. I also don’t know what that means for Trastorned. The Chilean quartet have spent 15 years working out the perfect homage to the genre with their debut, Into the Void. It’s mean. It’s fast. It sounds exactly how you want it to sound. But those three points mean little these days, and it will take so much more for these thrashers to survive the thresher.” Harvest tunes.
Tower – Shock to the System Review
“The retro metal movement continues unabated, dragging modern metal back to the past (read as: the 70s). New York City’s Tower want their piece of that retro/proto-metal pie, and on sophomore platter Shock to the System, they’re ready to do whatever it takes to get it. Their stock in trade is high-octane, gritty, ballsy metal influenced by 70s rock, 80s traditional metal, and early speed, and folks, these cats are out for blood and treasure.” System upgrade.
Dystopia A.D. – Rise of the Merciless Review
“Preconceptions are fun, aren’t they? When I tell you Dystopia A.D. is a 2-man unsigned band from Jersey, or Joisey as it’s colloquially known, you’re already forming a picture in your head. If you’re like me, you’re probably expecting some sort of politically charged thrash, possibly of a crossover or core-related variety. Dystopia is, after all, a word that inherently defines a result of particular forms of governance, and Jersey is known primarily for blue collar thrash, Overkill of course its flag carrier. Combine that with the unsigned 2-man band and the picture seems complete. Except it’s utterly, utterly wrong.” Garden state fake.
Ross the Boss – Born of Fire Review
“Ross the Boss is one of those bands I can’t help rooting for, being as it’s the outfit of Ross Friedman, the man behind the guitar on all the classic Manowar albums. Those platters were a huge part of my early metal education and I still cherish them dearly, as all trve metal fans should. Ross’ post-Manowar projects have been somewhat hit or miss, and 2018s By Blood Sworn was very disappointing despite some major league talent coming on board to help out. Because of this, I majorly tempered expectations coming into their 4th album, Born of Fire.” Who’s the Boss?
Tulus – Old Old Death Review
“In 1993, while we were all giggling at ‘What About Bob?’ and rooting for the Minnesota Twins while wearing jean jackets and reading Seventeen magazine, Norwegian black metal band Tulus began churning out some evil tunes. Three demos, one compilation, one six-year breakup and reunion, minor lineup changes, and six full-lengths later, does 2020 promise newfound fame or do they need to stay buried for another thirty years?” What is old is olde.
Emerald – Restless Souls Review
“Emerald is a time capsule. The two years since our last meeting grayed the shit out of me, but their Swiss cheese popped out just as chipper and evergreen as I remember. I suppose I should appreciate knowing what to expect. 24 years on and 8 albums in, Emerald found their niche and niched the hell out of it. They’re the anti-power power band, the least dense of the heavy metals, sitting too squarely in the center of the palate to love or loathe. Vim without vigor, vinegar without piss, a good script but a poor adaptation. You know the drill—or do you?” Broken gems.
