Review I AM ‘Eternal Steel’

On September 9, I Am from Texas offer a new metal monolith. ‘Eternal Steel’ is the name of their latest effort, which should be of interest to fans of bands like Obituary, Sepultura and Morbid Angel.

‘Eternal Steel’ is already the third album of the five Texas guys and what can be found on the record are energetic songs that can be categorized somewhere between death- and thrash metal. What stands out is that I Am not only operate within a certain range, but integrate an impressive variety in their brutal sounds. The guys don’t push the pedal to the metal, but vary the tempo and sometimes get into the realms of doom metal, like on ‘The Iron Gate’. However, the five guys do not stay in a certain tempo. The mentioned ‘The Iron Gate’ has, despite its slow basic direction, also thrashing passages and these variations are what makes I Am’s music so interesting.

Photo: Kevyn Reece

The thumping title track should also not go unmentioned. The quintet fires on all cylinders and leads into ‘Vicious Instinct’ with uncompromising heaviness. Both songs show that I Am can also swing the wrecking ball. Intelligently used tempo changes provide the necessary versatility, which benefits the entire record.

Also the acoustic intros to songs like ‘Queen Incarnate’ provide a welcome change and have a very positive effect on the flow of the longplayer.

Despite all the brutality, the band manages not to get lost in the frenzy of aggressive riffs. Frontman Andrew Hileman convinces with his deep growl and represents a core element of this record. At the same time it is the instrumental fraction that works detailed and varied, providing the spice of this metal colossus.

‘Eternal Steel’ impresses with its massive sounds, vicious growls and an irresistible groove. Headbanging is really fun with this sound blasting out of the speakers.