Review by Brexaul on January 2, 2021.

Straight out of Texas, the birthplace of top-class U.S. power metal and home of pro-gun enthusiasts, these sword wielding barbarians unleashed their debut album in 2016, after some very loud underground activity. The album was very well received and lots of noise was generated around the band’s name, many times accompanied with extremely flattering (or exaggerated, take your pick) comments about how they single handedly revitalized the stale old-school heavy metal sound.

It is true that Eternal Champion is a band, largely responsible for the rekindling of the flame of -as many like to call it- true heavy metal. Their debut came at a time when good releases were the exception, rather than the rule and they gave a breath of fresh air to the beloved genre. Backed up by a very nice cover courtesy of the great Adam Burke (also responsible for many other masterpieces like Vektor’s "Terminal Redux"), the band manages to sound professional, convincing and with enough gravitas and variety in their songwriting. The approach to the sound quality is also very interesting, as they manage to incorporate the excessive reverb into their identity which helps maintain a cohesive and “epic” atmosphere throughout the album.

Jason Tarpley’s trademark voice paints the picture of an age long gone by confidently proclaiming 'I am the Hammer' and set in motion a very entertaining heavy metal journey accompanied by the guards of Lourn and the riders of Tarsul. The lyrical prowess of Jason shines throughout the album with many of his short stories taking flesh in the songs. The whole band sounds like a well-oiled machine, as they shape the musical landscape of a journey through the 8 tracks of the album, expertly balancing between riff-driven compositions that while they are not always original, manage to stay fresh and interesting for the majority of the experience.

But is the album without flaws? Not really, but the flaws aren’t nearly as glaringly obvious as the strong points here. The main issue is that Armor of Ire is fairly short without even taking into account that 2 of the songs included are instrumentals, so the whole experience ultimately feels crippled. The album would surely benefit from the inclusion of one of their demo songs but the overall quality triumphs over the lack of quantity. One could also argue that the band doesn’t really offer anything groundbreaking or new, but Armor of Ire is full of passion and manages to be a very solid debut, worthy of the great albums of the past.

Many new bands try to copy what Eternal Champion did here and that speaks volumes on how influential this album already is. Let us hope they can surpass it with the new album that is coming soon!

Standout tracks: 'I Am The Hammer', 'The Armor of Ire'

Rating: 8.6 out of 10