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Strong winds and a magic mist brought "trveness" to Asgard once again. Come all ye Manowar faithful, rejoice on the blood of our enemies and run berserk spreading fear and pain, because Born of Fire is upon us. Riding the steel horse of metal, Ross the Boss valiantly waves the flag of purity once again, charging against the hordes of wimps and posers and delivering stab after stab of riff mastery.

Alas, after retiring to his chambers in the era when pests infested the scene, the Boss' influence and teachings were lost in the darkness of "Grunge, Nü et Core", but as a true warrior never dies, neither did the pureness of epic and magical heavy metal, and by the turn of the new century, the champion was back to attack.

Fourth full-length in his solo career, Ross Friedman and his trustworthy friends are once again on a quest to bring no-frills, punchy heavy metal to the masses. This time around, though, the Boss mixes things up a bit and showcases a more potent, savage side to his playing.

Songs like "Shotgun Evolution" and the title track have a Teutonic vibe to their personality, remembering the rawer moments of Accept and even some pinches of Paragon or Grave Digger. "I Am the Sword", on the other hand, ranges from thrashier moments to that power/thrash energy that only US natives like Agent Steel, Vicious Rumors and Helstar are capable of.

This is definitely Ross the Boss' most vicious work to date. All key elements when thinking about US-power metal are here, and his ability to write catchy songs without losing the traditional metal identity is what makes this so special in its own way. The album is a riff heaven for all guitar enthusiasts, and even with all the aforementioned elements, there is still room for epicness and melody, "Maiden of Shadows" being a perfect example of that.

Reaching out for old-timers as well as newer fans of his music, the guitar master once again proves why he was one of the best assets of Manowar's golden days, and still has a lot of energy left in his hands. So hail, my brother; raise your hammers in the air, swear the metal oath once more and heed the call of the black wind, fire and steel, for as the prophecy states: Ross the Boss is the Defender, God has sent.