DURBIN – Screaming Steel

I quite enjoyed the pounding heavy metal exercise by the talented singer James Durbin that was The Beast Awakens, which came out in 2021. Rooted as it was in classic eighties-flavored metal inspired by the likes of Accept, Judas Priest, DIO, Jag Panzer, and NWOBHM in general, it provided lots of entertainment as well as muscular riffs, impressive vocals, and a sense of the positively bombastic. All of that also applies to their brand-new effort where Durbin and the rest of the team conjure up a good collection of thunderous and epic metal that pays homage to the gods of old. Forget about originality – this is all about passion, doing something that you love, and having fun doing it. Durbin lacks neither charisma nor power with respect to that stunning voice of his, and Screaming Steel comes across as charming, engaging, and catchy through and through. The title track in particular is a proper juggernaut that delivers the riff-driven goods and the blistering ‘Where They Stand’ contains some of Durbin’s best vocal melodies to date. ‘Beyond the Night’ is somewhat forgettable, but overall, Screaming Steel is a solid and fun offering not to mention an enjoyable blast of old-school metal glory performed with a strong sense of dedication.