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This Slovenian band flashed some promise on their debut EP, Turned to Dust, back in 2019 and I'm pleased to report Challenger has lived up to that on their first full-length album, Force of Nature. We're still talking about music that is based on the Iron Maiden blueprint, which you can hear in the bass lines opening "Victims of War" or the "Ides of March"-style instrumental "Recurrent Universe," but Challenger have built on that foundation. The vocals, lovingly soaked in echo, are clear and there are some nice harmonies woven in, not to mention the blackened vocals alternating with the clear singing on "Under the Skin," which gives this song the shot of evil it needed to be a standout on the album. The songwriting is very good, with only the opening to "Exhausted Earth" dragging a bit. Other than that, Force of Nature is a smoking slab of traditional metal goodness that should appeal to anyone that ranks Iron Maiden along with newer acts like Traveler, Blood Star and Visigoth at the top of their playlists.