Battle Beast - Steel

200 days till W:O:A 2023.

And I just discovered Battle Beast.

My life may never recover.

I played Steel on a solo drive to Hamburg—windows down, volume up, absolutely unprepared for the joy that hit me. This album is pure, high-voltage road music.

Big hair. Bigger riffs. Enough synth to power a laser castle.

 

This is Steel, the debut album from Battle Beast, released in 2011—and if you listen to Enter the Metal World and don’t immediately want to raise a sword to the sky, we’re not the same.

 

Let’s be honest: Finland never misses.

 

Battle Beast was formed in 2008 by Anton Kabanen (guitar), Juuso Soinio (guitar), and Pyry Vikki (drums), with Nitte Valo on vocals, Eero Sipilä on bass, and Janne Björkroth on keyboards.

They won the Wacken Metal Battle in 2010, came back in 2011 and 2019, and they’re returning for 2023 with a slightly different lineup. Valo left in 2012 and was replaced by Noora Louhimo. Kabanen bowed out in 2015, replaced by Joona Björkroth (yes, related).

 

But this album? This Steel?

It’s the original lineup. And it absolutely rips.

Let’s not pretend this is subtle.

This is old-school heavy metal dressed in glam, bathed in synths, and screaming melodrama at full volume. It has power, it has hooks, and it has absolutely no shame.

 

And you know what?

It works.

 

The drums never quit. The guitar solos are made of fire. The choruses are so catchy I had them stuck in my head before I hit the first motorway exit. And somehow, despite all the clichés, the whole thing stays grounded in real, riff-heavy, proper metal.

 

It’s power metal with a glam metal heart and the attitude of an '80s arcade boss battle.

It’s Manowar energy—but without the loincloths and objectification.

 

And then there’s Nitte Valo, whose vocals are a full-on force of nature. I usually don’t gravitate toward female vocals in metal, but this? This made me a believer.

She roars, she rasps, she commands.

 

Enter the Metal World

 

Immediate hook. Instant mood. Exactly what it says on the tin. If this track doesn’t make you want to charge into battle with a synth-powered war cry, check your pulse.

 

Armageddon Clan

Opens with a Halford-worthy scream and doesn't slow down. This track is pure neon violence. Also—“Armageddon Clan”? Name of my next D&D group.

 

The Band of the Hawk

Warrior vocals in the background, storytelling front and centre. Manowar vibes turned up to 11—but with more keys and less oil.

 

Justice and Metal

The title alone tells you what you're in for. Simple lyrics. Shouting choruses. And I was yelling along by the second verse. No regrets. “JUSTICE! AND! METAL!”

 

Steel (title track)

 

Mid-tempo, absolute anthem. By minute two you will be singing along. There’s no escape. There is only steel.

 

 

Die-Hard Warrior

Keyboards go disco. I don’t care. I love it. The backing vocals, the WASP-style guitars at the end, the drama. It’s all there.

 

Cyberspace

Probably my least favourite—leans too far into synth-pop territory—but even here, Valo sounds like she could wrestle a planet.

 

Show Me How to Die

Lyric check: “Show me how to die / Life is not enough / I need to die.”

Okay, yes. Very theatre-kid-with-a-death-wish. But it slaps. Big vocals. Big drama. No notes.

 

Savage and Saint

Obligatory power ballad and it is PERFECT. Valo’s clean vocals shimmer, and when the grit creeps back in at 2:52? Instant chills. Guitar solo at 4:00 = YES. End the album here and I’d have been satisfied. But we get more.

 

Iron Hand

Marching keys, pure power metal. Feels like the start of a final boss level.

Let’s go.

 

Victory

 

Closing track on the original release. Features (I think?) Kabanen on vocals. Classic, no-frills finale.

 

Stay Black (bonus track)

Oh this one. Big stomping riffs. Rawer edge. Valo sounds feral in the best way.

And these lines?

 

Whenever life feels bad

Whenever life feels damned

Whenever life gets hard

Stay black!

 

 

YES. Tattoo it on my soul.

This album is a full-on adrenaline spike.

It doesn’t ask to be dissected. It just wants you to blast it loud, scream along, and maybe punch the air once or twice while merging onto the highway.

 

It’s not subtle.

It’s not profound.

It’s just metal joy—loud, proud, and completely unashamed.

 

And sometimes?

That’s exactly what you need.