This offering from the forgotten Spartan Warrior is their second full-length, and though at times has enough energy to put it clear-above NWOBHM wannabes like Snowblind, it is somewhat of a patchy affair failing to deliver with the same presence of the debut, the excellently titled РІР‚ВSteel n ChainsРІР‚в„ў released a year earlier. Highlights: Black Widow, Sentenced to Die, The Mercenary, French Girls I'll also point out that the band re-united a few years ago and plans to release their new album Behind Closed Eyes soon. Spartan Warrior weren't out to re-invent the wheel on this record, there is nothing impressive about what they offer (today or 25 years ago), but Spartan Warrior is another of those albums that can transport you back to a time and place and fondness for a particular sound that you no longer hear. If you want mildly cheesier fare that flirts with comparable riffing, you have 'French Girls' and 'I'm On Heat'. If this is your cup of tea, then dive on in to experience the charms of 'Assassin', 'Black Widow', 'Sentenced to Die' and 'The Mercenary'. In fact, this album is most going to appeal to fans of records like Power & the Glory and Crusader. The lyrics are dated and fairly typical for the band's day, but overall the album gives off that blue collar, hard working middleman vibe ala Saxon. Most of the tracks on Spartan Warrior plod along at the same middle pace, glazed in the vocals of Dave Wilkinson which are mid to high ranged but never annoying.

Spartan Warrior were one of the heavier bands to emerge through the NWOBHM, and even though this second, self-titled album arrived as that movement was morphing into its new faces (speed metal, power metal, thrash metal, etc), it's a steady offering with enough class to invoke the inner 'banger in any stubborn old man, and preferable to the debut Steel 'n Chains.

Spartan locker reviews