Stuka Squadron: New Sound Of War

Trad metal warmongers bite off more than they can chew

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Considering the fact that they hail from the legions of the immortal undead, mercenary Luftwaffe guns for hire and sometime London trad metallers Stuka Squadron suddenly seem to be in something of a rush.

Mere months after the release of their favourably reviewed debut album Tales From The Ost, the bloodsucking blighters are back with yet another collection of war stories and battle hymns. The quintet – Duke Fang Begley, Lord Graham Pyre, Gravedigger Cox, Sir Graveghoul Terrorsound and Baron von Hammerstein – are no doubt keen to capitalise on the attention that said debut and the attendant touring campaign have cast their way, but they should proceed with cunning as well as courage.

New Sound Of War easily earns the epithet Tales From The Ost Part II, a low-rent Powerslave clone charged with heroic NWOBHM eccentricity. Holding the line, however, isn’t enough. If our garlic-dodging anti-heroes are to assume the mantle of genuine greatness, they’ll have to up their game.