Megaton Sword was one of the many bands who had the misfortune of releasing their last album, Blood Hails Steel – Steel Hails Fire, in 2020, only for it to get lost in the pandemic vortex. To make matters worse, it was their debut album at that. I’m not saying Megaton Sword became completely forgotten overnight, but aside from the weeks following their debut, I didn’t hear their name again until just a couple months ago when it was announced they were returning with album #2, Might & Power. To which I joyously exclaimed, “Hellyeah!”
Look folks, it isn’t often epic metal makes its way onto this site. This isn’t because I’m an epic metal snob, but rather because the genre itself is so scarce. Manilla Road is no more. Brocas Helm haven’t released anything in almost 20 years. The chances of a second post-reunion effort from Cirith Ungol are slim, and at the current rate, Eternal Champion won’t release anything new until 2024. I’m sure there are other great epic metal bands out there that I’ve never heard of, so if you’re a member of one of these said bands, consider this your cue to email me your band’s info (defendersofthefaithmetal@gmail.com for the uninitiated).
Upon first listening to Might & Power, one can’t help but notice the refinement in both writing and musicianship. Yes, there’s still a raw edge akin to 80s epic and power metal, but the blackened undertones heard on the debut are all but gone, save for a sporadic moment here or there. Megaton Sword have since doubled down upon their epic metal ethos, further broadening their sonic palette with bombastic displays of arcane power and vast musical intricacies characteristic of folk metal done right (i.e. The Lord Weird Slough Feg).
Songs like the opening “The Raving Light of Day” and “All Wicked Schemes Unite” recall prime Manowar with their sword-dragging riffage and triumphant atmosphere. “Iron Plains”, “Cowards Remain”, and the neck-snapping “Power” evoke the epic thrash of late 80s Manilla Road, balancing speed and aggression with fantastical lyrics and a dramatic sense of urgency. And then there’s outliers like “Power” and “Raikaszi”, which boast those folk metal undertones, particularly in the instrumentation and melodies. The biggest outlier of all is the closing piano ballad, “Babe Eternal”. Ending an album with a ballad is always a gutsy move, one that can make or break an outing. In this case, it works, finely rounding out this epic affair.
Despite the creative advances made since Blood Hails Steel – Steel Hails Fire, I’m pretty sure I dig Might & Power equally as much as its predecessor. Both albums offer exciting spins on old school epic metal, with one being more primal and the other more polished. However, make no mistake: Might & Power further solidifies Megaton Sword’s reputation as champions of this extremely limited realm. Will it be the “epic metal album of the year” by default? Time will tell, but if I were a betting man (Oh wait, I am.), I’d put all my chips on it being such.
7 out of 10
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Genre: Epic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Manilla Road, Eternal Champion, Manowar