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Katana are a band that if you didn’t know otherwise, you would think they were a reunited 80s band. Their debut album Heads Will Roll was decent, but not really extraordinary, with only a few really memorable songs despite being generally enjoyable. This second album, Storms of War, is an improvement in every way.

Once again, we get galloping Maidenesque rhythms, some excellent leads, and that undeniable polish that a Swedish band can’t really avoid. This time out the production is much more pro, the playing is tighter, and the songs have much more identity, so even if they are not first-rate, they are more memorable. Singer Johan Bernspang is not a really polished vocalist, and he seems to need the overdubs to really sound on the money, but he gets the job done. You get some killer cuts like "Wrath of the Emerald Witch" and "City on the Edge of Forever" along with required filler like "No Surrender", but overall this is really solid, and does not lose much momentum in the second half. A solid pick for fans of Emerald or Iron Fire...