Album & EP Reviews

Steel Mage – God of Heresy (Single)

Steel Mage – God of Heresy (Single)
Self-Released
Release Date: 25/08/23 
Running Time: 4:33
Review by Paul Hutchings
7/10

We don’t often review singles here at Ever Metal, but when an up-and-coming UK band contact you directly with their new release, then it’s a pleasure to bend the rules a little. Steel Mage formed in 2020 and caught the attention of the UK thrash scene with some promising early releases. Their full-length debut “As the Chapel Falls” was a mix of thrash and metalcore, and the band earned some decent reviews. 

With a line-up change comes a change in direction and sound for the band which moves away from their Trivium-edged approach, and more towards melodic deathcore. It’s an interesting change of style and brings the band into a different focus. ‘God of Heresy’ is powerful, muscular, and intensely challenging. A staccato back beat, thick breakdowns, and Dawson’s rage-filled roars dominate, with bass lines that thump down in crashing waves bringing heft to the song.

I’ll be honest, it’s not the music I would go to, and my knowledge of the genre isn’t extensive. This is a huge song though, with a solid production to support the power that surges through it. Whether it will move the band in the direction that they want remains to be seen, but with Dawson, who guested on ‘Petrified’ on the debut album giving Steel Mage a new emphasis, the challenge is really on how they maintain their fanbase while building a new one. 

LINE-UP:
Kyle Dawson -Vocals
Jack Haigh – Drums
Oliver Parkes – Guitar
Thomas O’Malley – Bass
Chloe Cartwright – Guitar

LINKS:

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