By the Power of Thunder

By the Power of Thunder is the debut release from Steel Seal; a Melodic Power Metal band from Italy. Their music can best be described as 70's - oriented hard rock mixed with elements of modern neoclassical power metal. Think of the styles used by bands like Deep Purple, Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen and Alcatrazz combined with those of Axel Rudi Pell and Stratovarius. The end result is a well balanced diet of power and melody merged with harmony and aggressiveness. Within the first minute of the first song I was immediately hooked to Steel Seal's brand of Melodic Power Metal. You instantly realize what you are in for as far as the rest of the album. I was instantly drawn to this bands sound. The production is excellent and every instrument is well balanced so one does not over power the other. I really like Steel Seals use of keyboards. It's an instrument that compliments the guitars very well. The rock organ sound really gives this band a unique identity. It is used as a main instrument throughout most of the songs. They also use synth reed wave sounds on some of the solos as well as piano. Some of you may recognize that the vocalist singing on this release is none other than D.C. Cooper (Royal Hunt/Silent Force). His vocals are outstanding and sound just as good with Steel Seal as they do with Royal Hunt or Silent Force. Cooper sings with alot of power and clarity while maintaining excellent control when singing in various octave ranges. The guitar playing is nothing short of phenomenal. Marco Valerio Zangani is an incredible guitar virtuoso that gives most other players a standard by which they should be following. There are plenty of fiery guitar leads and scale runs. The notes are are not over played as far as the speed or muffled together as far trying to cram too much into few chord changes The drums are another force to be reckoned with. Steel Seal prefers a very driving double bass beat for speed and power. They really give the listener something to stomp their foot to while tapping their fingers. If some of you can't get enough of Steel Seal, try hunting down the Japanese version. It has a bonus track called Battles Eve. By the Power of Thunder is sure to receive a good amount of playtime in my CD player. It's an album that gives the Melodic Power Metal genre a refreshing kick in the ass!