Steröid – Chainmail Commandos Review

Put down that chainsaw and listen to me
It’s time for us to join in the fight
—”Weird” Al Yankovic

I gotta say, I’m pretty envious of the little band of musicians from Australia that make up the likes of Tarot, Gloomy Reflections, The Wizar’d, etc. There are plenty of bands these days that circle the classic metal and hard rock sounds that understand the importance of imperfection, but much fewer are the number who can pull it off with any semblance of honesty. Enlightenment, it seems, is achieved somewhere in the gap between not giving a fuck and trying way too hard.

Don’t overthink it, stupid. If you’ve got it, you’ve got it.

Enter the curious case of Steröid, a little side project of Lord Gordith (Gloomy Reflections, Quest Master). The songwriting on the band’s first full-length, Chainmail Commandos, nail the essence of classic heavy metal–littered with catchy riffs, soulful, star-catching leads, anthemic anthems, and a spirit of rocking away everything that sucks about whatever Your Current Situation might be. It embodies a romanticism of a Big City Night and a beer-soaked dive, and does so in such an honestly carefree way. The way in which the riffs are delivered tickle a 70s vibe with the bite of Heavy Metal more Sin After Sin than Defenders Of The Faith– more rock’n’roll swagger than direct heavy metal might.

Chainmail Commandos delivers a classic heavy metal experience most contemporary “NWOTHM” acts that focus so hard on “honing the craft” and “paying their dues” would kill for. There’s just one caveat: the whole thing sounds like it is performed in a cuddly little earthen burrow by gnomes that traded their humble woolen garments for raccoon leather and studs.

 

Had highlight tracks like “Warzone In The City,” Through The Night,” or “Rock Your Own Way” been delivered “straight,” they’d have killed it on the merit of the songwriting alone. Hell, the whole album would! It takes a certain confidence to write material this infectious and clearly talented and simply throw it all to the winds of whimsy.

I can already hear it: “I’d love this if the vocals weren’t so…”

You do realize you sound like your mother when you showed her death metal (or even punk rock, depending on your/her age) for the first time, yes? I cannot, of course, demand that you like it. Admittedly, a few will, a lot won’t. Many will throw out accusations of performance enhancers, such the implementation of synthesizers or the use of helium, in their attempt to discredit Steröid’s raw talent. Fact is, they’re doing classic metal better than most of the bands who try too hard to play it straight. Silly bands are a dime a dozen in the age of the internet, but so are bands that hone in on a single aesthetic without realizing the importance of what made the music so great in the first place: having their own voice (no matter how high pitched it may sound).

Into the night
They fall through the sky
No one should fly
Where eagles dare…

…to be stupid.