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April 2024

• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
• Praying Mantis: Defiance
• King Zebra: Between The Shadows
• About Us: Take A Piece
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March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
• Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
• Lipz: Changing The Melody
• The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
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February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
• Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
• Honeymoon Suite: Alive
• Durbin: Screaming Steel
• Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
• Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
• Striker: Ultrapower
• Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
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January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
• Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
• The Rods: Rattle The Cage
• Gotus: Gotus
• Metalite: Expedition One
• Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

[ More Music Reviews ]

Strider: Dominion Of Steel

Traditional Heavy/Power Metal

3.5/5.0

Facebook
Lion Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 27.11.2019 | Released: 29.11.2019

Apparently, little is known about Finland's Strider. Their online presence is limited to Facebook, where there is no biography of the band. Lion Music provides little in their one-sheet for the music press. However, we can deduce a few things, some common threads, from both sources.

Strider

One, Strider is quintet, featuring twin guitars. Two, they play traditional heavy power metal. Three, their principal and singular influence is "keep it true" metal legends Manowar. Actually, the Manowar influence is mentioned extensively in the press release. Which makes me wonder if Strider was a Manowar cover band in its infancy. Finally, according to an unnamed band member, the songs within their debut long player, Dominion Of Steel, have been works in progress for the last ten years. To flesh these things out a little more, Strider regals you with twin guitar harmony and ripping leads, over the gallop and groove of a tough rhythm section, with vocalist Niko Mattila offering clean, melodic, yet assertive vocals. Holding true to the traditional metal motif, gang vocals back up Mattila on many songs. Lyrically, the songs are about all things metal like metal, steel (and more steel), blades and battles, and mentioning the band name quite often. Ergo, you have Strike Of The Strider, Stride, Stride, Stride!, and, of course, the most gratuitous, We Are Strider.

While the Manowar reference can be debated, Strider delivers on their promise of traditional "keep it true" heavy metal. If like your metal with gallop and groove and epic guitar solos you will enjoy Strider's Dominion Of Steel. After all, we haven't had a new Manowar album in five years.

Carl Dixon: Unbroken

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR

4.5/5.0

Carl Dixon may not be a well known name in my native America, but in Europe and especially his beloved Canada, Carl Dixon is a rock star. Like a real rock star. Historically ... [ Read More ]

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

While the Manowar reference can be debated, Strider delivers on their promise of traditional "keep it true" heavy metal. If like your metal with gallop and groove and epic guitar solos you will enjoy Strider's Dominion Of Steel.

Alphabetical Index

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]