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STEELBALLS
The Neverending Fire

Witches Brew (2022)
Rating: 8/10

The band with the silliest name shakes off the rust and returns for another bite. Steelballs is an Argentine band that blends traditional heavy metal with lashings of power metal and speed. There’s nothing overly fancy here, just good old fashioned metal straight from 1986.

Track titles such as ‘Stormbringer’, ‘Sword And Sorcery’ and ‘Keepers Of Eternal Flame’ should give you an idea of the creakiness on offer as this Buenos Aires-based combo bursts open the dungeon gates, slays the dragon and rescues the princess.

Opener ‘Stormbringer’ brings epic vocal cries from J.P. Churruarin and the sort of driving rhythm section you’d expect from a European metal act long lost to the mists of time. So in a sense there’s an authentic feel in spite of the comedic band moniker. Flashes of classic Judas Priest spring to mind, but again there’s that flirtation with power metal, while the rollicking ‘King Of The Wind’ brings a cool thrash air circa Metal Church.

You can cherry pick any of the tracks on offer and you’ll be sure of a hidden gem. ‘Strangers In The Sky’ begins wistfully but unravels as a pure metal powerhouse boosted by that dual axe attack of Juan Herrera and Jorge San Roman. ‘The Conqueror’ slams heavy n’ hard, mid-paced debauchery and medieval majesty abound, while ‘Searching For Action’, although a little out of place, provides a heavy 80s glam flair.

The band really should change their name to something more effective yet serious because the music Steelballs offer on The Neverending Fire, their second full-length outing, is rather captivating and heavily nostalgic.

Neil Arnold

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