Band:	Battle Beast
Album:	Unholy Savior
Style:	Heavy metal, Power metal, Pop rock
Release date:	January 09, 2015
A review by:	R Lewis

01. Lionheart
02. Unholy Savior
03. I Want The World... And Everything In It
04. Madness
05. Sea Of Dreams
06. Speed And Danger
07. Touch In The Night
08. The Black Swordsman
09. Hero's Quest
10. Far Far Away
11. Angel Cry
12. Push It To The Limit [Paul Engemann cover][Japanese edition bonus]
13. Wild Child [W.A.S.P. cover][Japanese edition bonus]

Battle Beast are back with their third release, the second with Noora Louhimo leading the charge.

In the months leading up to the release of Unholy Savior, fans grew more and more concerned. The first song that premiered, "Touch In The Night", turned out to be a pure 80's disco piece, and the return on track with the roaring "Madness" only partially appeased the ones worried about a too commercial or non-cohesive album.

The first part of Unholy Savior states loud and clear that the difference in styles shown up to the release day wasn't the symptom of the band's identity crisis, but on the contrary shown Battle Beast's confidence in experimenting and trying new solutions. From the opener "Lionheart" to the previously released "Madness", going through the bombastic title track and what's probably the strongest track in the whole album, the wild "I Want the World? And Everything In It", Unholy Savior is impressive. Noora Louhimo's scratchy vocals are best described as just mean, and lead guitarist Anton Kabanen is out of control, making of this a marvellous beginning for an album. What most surprised me was, other than its predictable energy blast, just how fun was it, as I found myself inadvertently smiling throughout these first four tracks.

The second half or more of the album is the riskier part of it, being the one in which the band tried to venture into unknown or unusual territory. If the first ballad, "Sea Of Dreams," can be a welcome break from the initial heavy metal assault, the album's closer, "Angels Cry" feels a lot like its copycat, and if you throw in the middle of them the above-mentioned 80's synth pop "Touch In The Night" (still an interesting endeavour, that allows for admiration of the versatility of Louhimo's vocals), that must just be too much for a die-hard, pure heavy metal fan. Considering, then, the fact that the other more traditional tracks, though still being enjoyable and providing some stand-out moments, don't live up to the Fantastic Four that opened the album, it's understandable that this second part of the album can be seen as sort of a bummer.

The direction taken by the band, though, is probably the right one. After all the comparisons with Sabaton, often criticized for not innovating their music, trying to change and to expand their musical horizons could be a wise move.

And yet, Unholy Savior is glorious in some parts and just fine in others, not turning out to be the definitive consecration album that many had hoped for, being too metal for the wider audiences and too commercial and daring for the Steel fans, this album falls right in the uncomfortable middle. Still, it's widely more than satisfying and a solid pillar on which to build a more gradually varied metal career.