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Eternal Steel is the third album from I Am, a death metal band out of Texas, and I admit the badass cover art did a lot to draw me in. Nothing beats making a great first impression. Musically, I Am play chunky, bulldozing death metal throughout Eternal Steel. At first, I was reminded of Ex Deo, but I Am have a warmer sound that gives the whole album a satisfying crunch. They play fast, as you would expect, but also slow things down to a doomy pace in places ("The Iron Gate," "Infernal Panther") and I like how they mix it up within songs and it isn't just one fast song, one slow song, repeat. I don't hear anything particularly amazing in the songwriting, but the variation keeps Eternal Steel from being a faceless blur. While not likely to replace your favorite death metal classics, Eternal Steel has enough bludgeoning heft to keep your foot tapping.