Death Dealer - War Master (Steel Cartel) 2013

1. Death Dealer (5:22)
2. Never to Kneel (4:37)
3. Warmaster (5:08)
4. Children of Flames (5:13)
5. Curse of the Heretic (5:19)
6. Hammer Down (4:52)
7. The Devils Mile (6:29)
8. Liberty or Death (4:42)
9. Heads Spikes Walls (4:06)
10. Wraiths on the Wind (4:40)

Death Dealer are a multi-national power metal act Death Dealer. The band is made up of members and former members of artists such as Cage, Manowar, and Lizzy Borden, with the members mostly hailing from the United States but also Australia and Germany. The members are Sean Peck (Cage) on vocals, Ross the Boss (ex-Manowar/The Dictators) and Stu Marshall (ex-Dungeon, Empires of Eden) on guitars, Mike Davis (Halford, ex-Lizzy Borden) on bass and Rhino (ex-Manowar) on drums. Together they have released an album that will knock you out like a hammer to the head. Death Dealer unashamedly fly their traditional heavy metal flag with both feet planted firmly in the U.S. power metal genre, as opposed to the more flowery European power metal.

The album starts with the bands eponymous titled track. This song pushes the boundaries of power metal touching on speed metal and thrash metal. "Warmaster" and "Heads Spikes Walls" are uptempo, speed metal tracks that also push the thrash metal boundary. Of course that is the original meaning of "power metal", it was a bit heavier and faster than traditional heavy metal. However, this band offers a bit more than ten speed metal songs. "Never to Kneel" is a mid-paced, traditional head banger. "Children of the Flames" is an atmospheric ballad and a fairly heavy ballad at that. "Hammer Down" is a new version of a song that was originally recorded by Stu Marshall's band Empires of Eden.

"War Master" is real heavy metal. No frills, just heavy guitars, fiery guitar solos, pounding rhythm section and screaming vocals.