Review by Vladimir on January 4, 2023.

In the past 10 years of actively following the Serbian metal scene, I don't recall ever having any traditional heavy metal bands. The only one that has been around for awhile has mostly been Claymorean and that was it really. Luckily, we got Oathbringer from Kragujevac, which originally started as Riddle Of Steel, a one-man project by guitarist Lazar "Berserker" Zakić, that would eventually have a full lineup later on, with the addition of Miloš "Priestkiller" Stošić on vocals/bass, Petar "Axxer" Đorđević on lead guitar and Bora "Helldiver" Petrović on drums. With their forces united, they change the band's name to Oathbringer and start working on their debut album which was originally titled "Stand Or Fall", before having been officially named Tales Of Glory. The album was finally released via RTR Records after an entire year of patient waiting and build-up, and the question is, does it do any justice to all that hype? I shall simply answer by saying "Yes, and then some".

Tales Of Glory, besides being a love child of heavy metal and fantasy literature with the likes of Moorcock and Tolkien, is what the name suggests, an anthology of songs filled with catchy heavy riffs, neoclassical solos and unusual but wonderful vocals by Priestkiller. It's pure steel from the get-go with tunes like 'Odin's Call', 'Hail To The King', 'Alone In The Night' and a personal favorite of mine 'Moria', with the addition of a beautiful acoustic song 'The Ring' that captures the magical essence of Middle-earth. The only song that somewhat differs from the others is the bonus track 'Under The Spell', which they have previously released as a single while still under the name Riddle Of Steel. The song isn't bad by any means, it's still a good song, yet it doesn't quite capture the same energy or fit with the rest of the album. As I mentioned before, these songs would not have been so powerful if it weren't for the amazing songwriting and the excellent sound production, to which we have Marko Petković to thank for.

Oathbringer has done a great job with their debut album, they have fulfilled their sacred oath and given us a work of art for many to admire. It is without a doubt one of the best albums of the year, which is still going strong after almost six months, gaining fans worldwide and keeping the spirit of oldschool heavy metal alive. If you're by any chance a fan of "new wave of traditional heavy metal bands" like Eternal Champion or Visigoth, this is a band I highly recommend to you.

Rating: 9 out of 10