Album Review: BATTLE BEAST - Bringer Of Pain

01. Straight To The Heart

02. Bringer Of Pain

03. King For A Day

04. Beyond The Burning Skies

05. Familiar Hell

06. Lost In Wars

07.Bastard Son Of Odin

08. We Will Fight

09. Dancing With The Beast

10. Far From Heaven

11. God Of War (Bonus Track)

12. The Eclipse (Bonus Track)

13. Rock Trash (Bonus Track)

Battle Beast are already a massive band in their home country of Finland, and Bringer Of Pain is tipped to be the album that brings them further international success. I must confess that I'd only heard a handful of their songs before, so Bringer Of Pain is the first of their albums that I've had a really good listen to in its entirety. For those unfamiliar with the band, imagine a mix of Sister Sin, Doro, and Judas Priest's Turbo and Painkiller albums and you'll be somewhere close.

The whole album is unbelievably 'Heavy Metal' to the point of being wonderfully ridiculous. What else could someone expect from a Finnish Metal band called Battle Beast? Their over the top approach to the music and complete disregard for fashion and mainstream credibility works in their favour and makes this record something very special indeed.

Lead singer Noora Louhimo is unbelievably good. Her range and dynamics are world class, tackling Halford-esque, screaming Metal style vocals and switching to an array of melodic tones with ease. Her phenomenal talent makes this band truly great.

Every song on here is fantastic, even the bonus tracks. Battle Beast are experts at Heavy Metal mixed with clever Pop sensibilities, ensuring the album is full of hooks and anthems. Personal favourites include King For A Day which sounds like the missing link between Accept and ABBA, and is lyrically about a corrupt, self serving politician. It's a rage most people around the world can relate to. Dancing With The Beast sounds like an 80's Pop song with some Rock guitars thrown in. That's not a criticism though. It works extremely well and is certainly a highlight for me. Bonus track  Rock Trash is an aggressive sleazy track with sounds like Van Halen mashed up with Sister Sin, and finishes off the album on a massive high.

Bringer Of Pain is awesome. It may be a little too Pop, too commercial, or too 80's for many Metal fans, but these influences are a major strength making Battle Beast far more enjoyable than the average Power Metal band.