#icedearth — Public Fediverse posts

Steel Arctus – Dreamruler Review

By Andy-War-Hall

Brothers, you need power metal in your life. No, you do. You need authentic positivity shot straight into your cynic-rotten hearts, now. Most fortunate for you, Greek power metallers Steel Arctus have graced this year of 2025 with their third album Dreamruler, marking the third entry into the chronicles of their titular hero Steel Arctus. 2020’s Fire and Blood detailed the origins of Steel Arctus and his girlfriend Red Sonja the Arcadian Lady, 2022’s Master of War saw him delve into the fires of Hades and now Dreamruler sees him challenge the titular Dreamruler in his evil world of dreams to rescue his bodacious muse. Though the first two albums were good, Steel Arctus only grazed greatness a few times in their young career. Is Dreamruler the one that’ll bring them there? Hold your hammers high.

Steel Arctus are sworn to the flame of metal glory, and Dreamruler carries that fire by way of anthemic power metal. Dreamruler is imbued with the fantasy-minded songwriting of Dio, the epic vocal acrobatics of Lost Horizon and the fist-balling machismo of Judas Priest and Visigoth. “Riding through the Night” sees Steel Arctus fuse Judas Priest grit and Nocturnal Rites hookiness, “Fate of the Beast” marries Stratovarius neoclassical-isms with Paladin riffing and “Will to Power” embodies so much Manowar that I’m surprised Manowar never wrote it. Steel Arctus harness these influences into lean, catchy tunes that—while never feeling totally original, obviously—feel deeply energized and alive. Just hearing the Lost Horizon bloopy synths and grandeur of “Defender of Steel,” the Iced Earth thrash-power of “Cry for Revenge,” and the Savatage class and nastiness of “Dreamruler” evoked that sense of first getting into metal again. Listening to Dreamruler is listening to everything Steel Arctus love distilled into forty-seven minutes of heavy metal bliss.

This mimicry of established styles wouldn’t work so well if Steel Arctus weren’t incredible musicians. Thankfully, guitarist Nash G. churns out quality riffs like it’s nothing, bringing beefy grooves to “Will to Power” and nimble plucking on “Fires of Death”. While extremely technical and wah-heavy (“Fires of Death”), G.’s solos avoid hollowness through a melody-first approach; just hear those twins on “Dreamruler” or how “Wicked Lies” plays with the riff beneath it. Drummer Minas Chatziminas crushes his kicks (“Defender of Steel”) while fitting in cool tom and cymbal work (“Riding through the Night”) and just enough kick variation for some rhythmic interest (“Dreamruler”), while bassist Strutter (Wardrum) lays down thick-toned bass runs throughout Dreamruler and even leads on “Wicked Lies.” But vocalist Tasos Lazaris (Fortress Under Siege, White Wizzard) is the leader of this quest called Dreamruler, as his incredible range (“Legend of the Warrior”,) power (“Cry for Revenge”) and charisma (“Glory of the Hero”) sharpen the hooks of Dreamruler and give Steel Arctus a commanding presence. Put together, and Dreamruler’s an outstandingly fun romp worthy of Steel Arctus’ many influences.

The only blemish on Dreamruler is that the ending isn’t a smash success. The penultimate “Legend of the Warrior” opens in dramatic fashion, replete with swirling synths, plucked clean guitar and spoken narration à la Lost Horizon that really sounds like Steel Arctus are building towards a true epic conclusion akin to “Highlander (The One).” Instead, it and the closing instrumental “Onar (όναρ),”1 move through mid-paced crawls that leave Dreamruler with a minor case of anticlimax. They’re not bad songs— “Legend of the Warrior” features Lazaris’ most dynamic performance and “Onar (όναρ)” sounds genuinely restorative in its pleasantness—but with how much pathos Steel Arctus weave into their music I think Dreamruler would’ve benefited from a bigger, grander finale. Steel Arctus can tell a story: I have no idea what happens in Dreamruler narrative-wise, but when Lazaris commands “Hammer Highyaaa!” on “Defender of Steel,” who needs a plot? I’m right there anyway.

Steel Arctus have leveled up tremendously on Dreamruler, and anyone with even a smidgen of appreciation for power metal should give this a spin. They don’t do anything new or novel whatsoever on Dreamruler, and, yeah, these are the most generic power metal song titles imaginable, but Steel Arctus hammered their way into greatness by sheer force of will anyway—along with amazing performances and adept songcraft, of course. Everything about Dreamruler is wholehearted, from Steel Arctus’ celebration of heavy metal’s past to their overwhelming showmanship. This is music of gigantic melancholy and gigantic mirth and easily one of, if not the year’s best power metal albums.

Rating: Great
DR: 72 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: No Remorse Records
Websites: steelarctus.com | steelarctus.bandcamp | facebook.com/steelarctus
Releases Worldwide: November 28th, 2025

#2025 #40 #dio #dreamruler #epicMetal #fortressUnderSiege #greekMetal #heavyMetal #icedEarth #judasPriest #lostHorizon #manowar #noRemorseRecords #nocturnalRites #nov25 #paladin #powerMetal #review #reviews #savatage #steelArctus #stratovarius #visigoth #wardrum #whiteWizzard

Exelerate – Hell for the Helpless Review

By Grin Reaper

After dropping their self-titled debut in 2023, Exelerate returns with their patented twist of power thrash to unleash Hell for the Helpless. This cross-genre hybrid takes the speed and wiolence of thrash and marries it with the upbeat and anthemic buoyancy of power metal. Megadeth and Dio are listed as primary influences, but I hear more recent Flotsam & Jetsam, Unleash the Archers and Iced Earth. Exelerate skewed heavily toward thrash on their debut, but they tone down the aggression to embrace power metal swagger on Hell for the Helpless. While they continue to flex technical chops and guitar wizardry, the speed and flamboyance of Exelerate take a back seat this go round. Perhaps this is to put a finer point on their new album’s concept, which is billed as an exploration of adverse mental states and the capacity to overcome through healing and understanding. It’s a noble position, and one I believe could connect with listeners, but does the reformulation help Hell for the Helpless cross the finish line, or do they take the foot off the Exelerater and run out of gas?

Generally speaking, concept albums are comprised of an interconnectedness between songs that transcends face value. At the risk of gravely oversimplifying, there are two flavors—narrative and thematic concepts. Hell for the Helpless bears the flag of the latter. Exelerate brings musical congruity, as there are self-referential moments like when the mournful guitar melody from “The Breach” creeps back in toward the end of “The Summoning.” While I admire the cleverly interwoven motifs, it’s not enough to earn the ‘concept’ moniker. The best concept albums merge narrative and thematic cohesion in ways that are immediately accessible yet profoundly tethered, and there’s more Exelerate could have done to distill their message. Adding a story or featuring guest vocalists to represent different mental maladies could have accentuated the nuances of the themes explored. Instead, Hell for the Helpless feels a touch light on conceptual gravity.

Still, Exelerate finds plenty of moments to dazzle with their musicianship, excelling when it comes to hooky guitar licks and throat-searing falsettos. Guitarist Mads Sorensen and guitarist/vocalist Stefan Jensen set fretboards aflame across Hell for the Helpless, slinging neoclassical solos (“The Summoning”) and dispensing frenetic bursts of arpeggiated runs (“A Painful Debt”). There’s nary a track that isn’t sticky with ear candy, and even when the pace slows down (“Falling in Lust”), Sorensen and Jensen make those bad axes wail. Speaking of wailing, Jensen doesn’t hold back during his vocal onslaught. Living somewhere between Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate and Flotsam & Jetsam’s Eric Knutson, Jensen most frequently occupies power metal’s comfort zone of high-pitched histrionics. At the top end of his register, he bears a passing resemblance to Unleash the Archers’ Brittney Slayes (“Stranger out of Time”). Jensen also dips into growls (“Impending Doom”), adding welcome variation in the back half. The rhythm section earns their keep as well—bassist Io Sklarstrup rumbles along and drummer Stig Eilsøe-Madsen drives the momentum throughout. There aren’t many showy moments for them, but the duo skillfully supports the foundation of Hell for the Helpless.

Despite the slick musicianship and luster of a deft production, Hell for the Helpless falters when evaluated as a whole. Power metal is no stranger to bloat, and the fifty-three-minute runtime is too long for what Exelerate deals out. Six of the ten tracks clear the five-minute mark, but they lack the riff diversity and substance to sustain those lengths. A minute could be trimmed from most tracks and engender a tighter, more focused album, rather than songs seeming like butter scraped over too much bread. Regardless of this and the concept execution stumble, Hell for the Helpless is a success. The mix gives all contributors space to be heard and appreciated, and the guitar tone is perfect for power thrash.

Exelerate’s latest revs my engine, goosing the throttle in lots of right ways. Addictive guitars, supercharged melodies, and singalong choruses deserve at least one spin, although repeated listens will remain a hurdle for some. I quite enjoyed my many listens and think Hell for the Helpless is a bundle of fun. Refining their approach will turbo boost what comes next for Exelerate and I’ll patrol for future releases from these Danes with my fingers crossed that we get the high-octane thrill ride they’re capable of driving.

Rating: Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: From the Vaults
Websites: exelerate.bandcamp.com | exelerate.dk | facebook.com/Exelerateband
Releases Worldwide: September 12th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Dio #DutchMetal #Exelerate #FlotsamJetsam #FromTheVaults #HellForTheHelpless #IcedEarth #Megadeth #PowerMetal #PowerThrash #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #ThrashMetal #UnleashTheArchers