Alcatraz Line up: 2018

Battle Beast has toured with the likes of Nightwish, Sonata Arctica and Sabaton. They initially surfed along on the popular wave of old-school metal revivalism with a sound indebted to Judas Priest, Helloween and early 80s power metal in general. The 2012 addition of new singer Noora Louhimo did wonders for their self-titled sophomore effort: her greater vocal range opened up a host of fresh possibilities, inspiring a change in musical direction that turned many new fans on to the band. On ‘Unholy Savior’ (2015) they continued to move away from their Euro-power beginnings in favour of mid-tempo hard rock contributions. The standout features on a Battle Beast album are Louhimo’s excellent vocal control, blistering solos and the keyboard lines. ‘Bringer of Pain’ (2017) is no exception. The first Battle Beast album to include songwriting contributions by all the members, ‘Bringer of Pain’ is Battle Beast’s most versatile and well-balanced album to date. If you’re into Doro, Nightwish, Sabaton et al, Battle Beast will definitely slake your metal thirst.