Souls of Steel – Songs Of Steel

Souls of Steel
Songs Of Steel
Label: Wormholedeath
Out: August 16^th, 2024
Playing time: 51:13

Souls of Steel were founded in 2021 by bassist Benjamin Lopez and guitarist Daniel Jiménez in the Central American country of El Salvador. The band was born out of a desire to make their own music. The album ‘Songs Of Steel’ was recorded at Erlin de la O’s Stageline Studio in El Salvador. Mixing and mastering was carried out by sound engineer Ross Rothero-Bourge at Cube Recording Studio in the UK. The album was initially released digitally and on CD in December 2023. After signing a record deal with Wormholedeath, the worldwide re-release followed in August.

The ‘Intro’ has a length of just over two minutes. Epic choruses, strings and keyboards can be heard. But far too long in my opinion. ‘Eternal One’ makes up for this somewhat. Heavy riffs and guitar hooks, a strong bass line. Sebastián Lorenzana’s vocals sound slightly off-key in places. The guitars sound clearer on ‘Burning Love’. But the riffs have lost none of their heaviness. The vocals are also more pleasant. ‘No Man’s Land’ has a thrashy edge. The guitars are wild and hectic. The double bass is driving. The Metal screams and the slightly harsh vocals go well with this. ‘Human Perversity’, on the other hand, is initially a mid-tempo stomper. A tendency towards Epic Doom can be recognised. But later the tempo picks up, mainly due to the drumming and the fast riffs. Hard riffs also dominate ‘Neverending Machine’. And again, a powerful bass line. Later, the double bass once again ensures a high tempo. In ‘Trickster’, the riffs pound in the mid-tempo range. Even when the double bass takes centre stage. If I’m not mistaken, you can hear both singers in a duet here.  After so much power, a break is needed. And this follows with the contemplative ballad ‘The Debt’. It’s impressive how the guitar literally sings here at times. This is accompanied by calm, accentuated drumming. The second part is really powerful, in the style of a power ballad. ‘Last Gig’ then tends towards a Metal anthem, with twin-guitar runs, although only one guitarist is actually featured. ‘Legends Reborn’ offers strong Power Metal. Again, with hard Metal screams. And a strong guitar solo. With ‘Rising Steel’, the band moves into high-speed territory one last time.

There are many different Metal influences on ‘Songs Of Steel’. Thrash, Speed and Power Metal are combined here. Metal fans don’t have to do without a ballad either. Many guitar solos, bass lines but also the drumming testify to a high musical level. The album is a well-rounded affair.

Souls of Steel – Neverending Machine: https://youtu.be/vdMrMmUT-bk?si=Y4ZHzEwik0XS34rW

Lineup:

Benjamín López – Bass, Second Vocals
Daniel Jiménez – Lead Guitar
Óscar Trujillo – Drums
Sebastián Lorenzana – Lead Vocals

Track list:

• Intro
• Eternal One
• Burning Love
• No Man´s Land
• Human Perversity
• Neverending Machine
• Trickster
• The Debt
• Last Gig
• Legends Reborn
• Rising Steel