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I knew this album was going to be fun as soon as I saw the study-hall grade cover art. Hyborian Steel are a US band who decided one Ironsword in the world just wasn't enough, and this is their debut album of barbarian metal goodness called An Age Undreamt Of…a name that throws me off a little bit, because I think the actual Howard line was "An age undreamed of" but that's just nitpicking.

Do you love Ironsword? Hyborian Steel are a basically an Ironsword tribute band, with chunky Heavy Metal riffs, barbaric vocals, and lyrical themes almost entirely obsessed with Robert E. Howard and his worlds of blood and thunder. The production is a bit rough, but that's what you'd expect from a band like this, isn't it? Standout tracks like "Eyes of the Serpent", "M.R.Z." and "Behind the Mirror" prove that this is not a novelty band, as they pack some killer classic metal riffs and memorable chorus lines. Even the more generic songs like "Cimmerian" and "Pirates of the Black Coast" are enjoyable slabs of metal crunch, I even enjoy the Heavy Load cover.

Despite the unavoidable comparison to Ironsword, Hyborian Steel flash more then enough talent to justify their existence, and I eagerly hope that this is just the beginning of a long career in the underground. Because, frankly, I think Ironsword are so awesome that no, one of them is just not enough at all. Besides, on their more epic compositions like "Behind the Mirror", Hyborian Steel display a knack for melody that recalls the classic works of Omen or Manilla Road, and implies that if they keep at it, we might have much more than just a clone band on our hands. A highly satisfying album in a subgenre I love beyond articulating. Suffer no guilt, you who wield this in the name of Crom.