Maelstrom of Death and Steel

This is an EP/Demo from one-man band Soulcaster, which is made up of multi-instrumentalist Andreas Stieglitz, who also does time in a few other Belgian bands you've not heard of. This is a slab of pure, '80s-inspired Heavy Metal, and it doesn't sound too bad. The production is muffled at best, lacking punch or separation, and there is so much echo on Stieglitz's vocals that it's hard to really tell what he sounds like. There are some good riffs on this thing, like the main licks on "Shardbearer" and "The Wretch". There is a not-surprising similarity to other new wave of True Metal bands like Graven Rite or Eternal Champion, and overall this is a very US-sounding disc. This is primitive, especially production-wise, but it shows a lot of potential.