‘Reign Of Steel’ Is Another Successful Offering From DEATH DEALER

By: Philip Sayblack

​The new year is getting off to a solid start for hard rock and metal fans.  Alter Bridge opened the year early this month with the release of its new self-titled album.  That record was unquestionably the first great hard rock album of the new year.  Now Friday, Death Dealer has joined that list with the release of its brand-new album, Reigh of Steel.  Released Friday through Massacre Records, the 10-soong record is the band’s fourth album and first studio recording in more than four years following the release of its EP, Fuel Injected Suicide Machine in November 2021.  That record was preceded by the band’s third album, Conquered Lands, which was released in November 2020 through Steel Cartel Records.  This latest offering from Death Dealer is another solid offering from the band.  That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements.  The lyrical themes that accompany the album add to its interest.  The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the presentation.  All things considered they make Reign of Steel the next great new hard rock and metal album of 2026.
Reign of Steel, the fourth full-length studio recording from Death Dealer, is a strong new offering from the band.  That is proven in no small part through its featured musical arrangements.  From the beginning to the end of the 46-minute presentation, the arrangements offer audiences a wide range of sounds and styles.  Right from the album’s outset, audiences get a composition in ‘Assemble,’ that blends a variety of sounds and styles in itself.  As the song opens, its first bars present something of a doom metal approach but as the song progresses, audiences get more of a power metal/hard rock approach a la Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden.  That approach takes listeners on through to the end of the nearly five-minute composition while maintaining its identity throughout separate from works from the noted bands.  To that end, it is a unique work in itself.
‘Bloodbath,’ the album’s midpoint, takes things in a completely different direction opting for a more thrash style sound a la vintage Exodus and Testament.  Vocalist Sean Peck’s soaring operatic scream and the work of his fellow musicians – guitarists Ross “The Boss Friedman and Stu Marshall, drummer Steve Bolognese, and bassist Mike LePond – make the song’s musical presentation completely immersive.  It is a song that stands starkly (in the best way possible) against the rest of the album’s entries.
As the album’s second half opens, the band maintains the album’s musical interest by changing things again in ‘Raging Wild and Free.’  This song, which seems to be a celebration of the familiar topic of living the rock lifestyle, of being individuals, presents a musical arrangement that is honestly completely unexpected.  Instead of being the high energy rocker that one might expect, considering the lyrical theme, the song is instead a vintage hard rock ballad approach instead.  The contemplative yet still positive mood that the band establishes here definitely makes the composition stand out.
As the album proceeds to its finale, ‘Reign of the Night,’ the band continues to present plenty of hard rock, power metal and even some 80s hard rock leanings throughout the album’s second half.  At the same time, the compositions presented continue to maintain their own identity separate from the works of so many of Death Dealer’s contemporaries.  All things considered Reign of Steel proves to be a record whose musical body gives audiences reason enough to take in this album.
The musical arrangements featured throughout Reign of Steel are just a portion of what makes the record a success.  Its lyrical themes are just as notable as its musical content.  As with Death Dealer’s existing albums (and its one EP), the lyrical themes hardly match the ominous tone of the band’s name, and that is a good thing.  Rather the themes featured herein are more proof of why hard rock and metal remain so beloved.  This has already been evidenced through the album’s singles — ‘Blast The Highway,’ ‘Bloodbath,’ and most recently ‘Riding on the Wings’ – show.  ‘Blast The Highway’ is just about a person being behind the wheel, out on the road, pushing the pedal to the floor, etc.  It is a basic theme that has been done countless times from other rock and hard rock acts past and present.  It is just as engaging and entertaining here as in those other cases.  ‘Bloodbath’ takes on the infamous sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis during WWII and what happened to the sailors who manned the ship.  ‘Riding on the Wings’ is another WWII-era story that focuses on the aces who fought the air war over the Pacific.
They are only some of the interesting topics the band raises in these songs.  ‘Devil’s Triangle’ is a story about the infamous Bermuda Triangle while ‘The Sleeping Prophet’ is about famed clairvoyant Edgar Casey.  For those who may be less familiar with Casey’s history, he somehow managed to come up with treatments and cures for various sicknesses while he slept.  How he gained access to the information that he gained during sleep is still a topic of great discussion to this day.  The band even goes full-on fantasy in ‘The Dragon of Allogorath,’ one of the album’s even later entries.  In other words, Death Dealer once again offers audiences a wide range of themes and topics throughout the course of its latest album, serving as the basis, in turn, for plenty of discussions and just as much engagement and entertainment.  Considering all of the historical people and events that the band has touched on to this point, it is a surprise that the group has not yet partnered with the likes of Sabaton for any work.  That is a collaboration that deserves to happen.
The whole of the album’s overall content puts this record over the top.  For all that the overall content does to make the record worth hearing, there is still one more item to examine, that being the sequencing of said content.  From the beginning to end of the album, the sounds and styles change just enough from one to the next to keep things interesting.  The same applies with the record’s lyrical themes.  The band never stays on one topic too long or one musical style too long, either.  To that end, the aesthetic impact of the attention to detail in the sequencing completes the album’s presentation, ensuring once and for all that the album will hold its place long term amid this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Reign of Steel, the latest album from Death Dealer, is a strong new offering from the hard rock “super group.”  The record’s appeal comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which offer listeners a welcome range of hard rock and metal sounds and styles.  From power metal to vintage metal to even some vintage thrash, the sounds and styles featured here do plenty to make Reign of Steel worth hearing.  The record’s lyrical themes once again provide their own diversity, touching on topics of history and even fantasy.  It is a familiar approach for the band even in this case that still presents new topics from those presented in the band’s existing catalog.  That in itself is sure to keep readers engaged and entertained.  The sequencing of that content puts the finishing touch to the record, ensuring a positive aesthetic impact.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the record.  All things considered they make Reign of Steel a record that will be around by year’s end among this year’s new hard rock and metal albums.
Reign of Steel is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of Death Dealer’s latest news at:
Website: https://www.deathdealermetal.com