Label: Pure Steel Records

Date: September 25th, 2020

I wasn’t even aware of how much my body lacked a dose of traditional heavy/power metal until I listened to “In The End” by the band Byfist. Although these five-piece act from San Antonio(USA) have been around (with one huge break) for about 30 years this is their debut album. The band faced numerous problems (you can also read their interview here) which prevented them from being more disco-graphically active.

From the first track “Universal metal”, it is perfectly clear what can we expect on this material: traditional US power metal inspired by bands such as Omen, Vicious Rumors, Judas Priest… Sometimes, even Hammerfall (Renegade-era) comes to mind. During the 46 minutes this album lasts, Byfist delivers pure US metal in its finest form. Songs are aggressive with sharp guitars, a strong rhythm section and Raul Garcia’s high pitched vocals. The mentioned song “Universal metal” is more than a perfect opener as one of the strongest tunes here. The album drops in pace from its mid-section until the end, but the songs remain heavy. You can’t find any bad moments on this material, except the originality. Perhaps it’s not a very original album, but it’s definitively worth listening to.  Decent record and I sincerely hope we won’t have to wait for many years to hear the next Byfist release.

If you’re a fan of US power metal and classic heavy metal, then I totally recommend you to check this one out.