Angry Metal Guy
Steelbound, Battle Beast’s seventh full-length album, struts forth boasting bubblegum choruses and sticky refrains that, upon contact, are sure to plague your showers and commutes for days afterward. For the uninitiated, the sextet from Helsinki, Finland, plays pop-infused power metal with anthemic, uplifting gusto and broad appeal. Battle Beast simmers with talent, but it’s singer Noora Louhimo that steals the show with her powerhouse range and grit, the perfect voice to broadcast the positivity and pluck that Battle Beast engenders. After years of snacking on sweetmeats, though, has the candy coating left this Beast’s fangs riddled with cavities, or are the teeth still mighty enough to bring the pain?
Except for the time Steel fell head-over-monkey’s paw for debut Steel, Battle Beast has languished in mixed-to-good territory. The self-titled sophomore effort saturated its sound with Europop, and follow-up Unholy Savior tried to blend the styles of the first two albums, creating an uneven listen. Afterwards, guitarist Anton Kabanen left to form Beast in Black, and Battle Beast forged on with Brymir’s Joona Björkroth on six-string duty with nary a lineup change since. The subsequent albums have followed the tried-and-true formula of sub-forty-five-minute runtimes (less bonus tracks), concise track lengths and enough earworms to warrant a prescription for Ivermectin. Steelbound follows suit, adhering to the blueprint honed over the last few albums.
Every nook and cranny of Steelbound’s ten tracks drips with polish, where each second is crafted to be damnably catchy and take root in your earhole. From the chest-thumping mantra in “Here We Are” to the Latin-inspired rhythms in “Twilight Cabaret,” Battle Beast marches their aural cavalcade about town, tossing out fun-sized bites to on listeners by the fistful. Besides forgettable interlude “The Long Road,” each song is engineered to ensnare your attention with belt-along choruses and dancy grooves, harkening influences from ABBA (“Steelbound”) to Spice Girls (“Twilight Cabaret”). Finnish treasure Noora sinks her sonic barbs into your brain, but she’s not the only weapon this Battle Beast wields—guitar chugs, solos and drum fills ground Steelbound with metal roots amongst the synth-addled retro vibes. Knowing what to listen for, the Brymir injection is obvious and welcome, coating songs with succinct shredding that sparkles without ever approaching self-aggrandizement. Meanwhile, Pyry Vikki’s drumming suits the music perfectly, lurking in the pocket until summoned forth to unleash a drum break. The flamboyant keys (courtesy of Janne Björkroth) rarely allow you to escape 80s sensibilities, and the rhythm and bass guitar reinforce Steelbound’s mood without ever intruding or stealing the spotlight.
As ever, Battle Beast marries Eurovision-ready melodies with heavy metal to craft an accessible palette for any age or disposition. This is entry-level metal, and I don’t mean that derisively. There’s a path most of us take to blossom into the opinionated, fetid elitists we are today, and it’s not usually jumping straight from T-Swift to Portal in a single bound. Yet what makes Battle Beast so digestible is also what hamstrings the band—the song craft is too safe. Steelbound is at its best when toeing the line between danger and pop inclinations, but it happens too infrequently. Title track “Steelbound” features a calculated chorus that’s enchanting, and two-thirds through the song, there’s a call-and-response section where Noora musters her full grit and the music feels genuine, like it could almost go off the rails. It doesn’t, but this organic moment sticks out as one that hasn’t been carefully curated and vetted in a focus group. There’s undeniable talent here, but when every song feels like it’s manufactured rather than tailored, the end result lacks conviction.
Steelbound prioritizes hooks over substance, which proves out after repeated listens. The irrationally captivating “Here We Are” and other choice moments are instantly recognizable, but between entire songs, the fun can blur together. It’s a shame, because the band possesses all the pieces to write something truly special, but the reason I can rely on Battle Beast to be a dependable comfort listen is the same thing that holds them back. Avoiding any risks handcuffs their ability to move past the ceiling they’ve fabricated for themselves. Some of the songs on Steelbound will stick with you like sugary treats wedged between your teeth. They’ll be with you for a day or two, but eventually you dislodge the saccharine gob, brush your teeth, and find something with more sustenance.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: Website | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025
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Fri Oct 17 16:09:58 GMT 2025