Self-admittedly, I am not a metal-head. I do not own a single article of leather clothing, a double-kick pedal for my drum kit, nor do I have teased hair. But Hordes of the Brave, the latest offering from Finland’s Iron Mask, Magic Kingdom mastermind and guitarist Dushan Petrossi’s solo band, really makes me wish I was one!



Hordes of the Brave features 11 flawlessly arranged progressive metal tracks composed, written, and produced by Petrossi himself. While Petrossi can also take credit for the album’s crunchy rhythm guitar and its wailing solos, the other musicians who perform on this album are hand-picked stars from Europe’s metal scene. New vocalist Gotez “Valhalla Jr.” Mohre keeps screaming to a minimum, his aggressive delivery coupling brilliantly with Petrossi’s pleasant melodies. Guest vocalist Oliver Hartmann (ex At Vance) was again scouted by Petrossi and contributes vocals to “The Invisible Empire”, “Crystal Tears”, and “Iced Wind of the North”, a duet with Mohre.



Hordes of the Brave’s lyrics range from fantastic predictions about the future of earth (“Holy War”) to a tribute to Alexander the Great, a bloody warrior yet respectful ruler whose epic story has influenced Petrossi’s lyrics and music for some time. I didn’t find anything especially unique or interesting about the words themselves apart from their delivery by Mohre and Hartmann.



Metal keyboardist Richard Andersson (Majestic, Time Requiem, Space Odyssey) is responsible for each arpeggiated and classically inspired keyboard solo heard on Hordes of the Brave. At times his neo-classical style can seem a bit kitschy or over-the-top when associated with Petrossi’s hard-hitting arrangements, but his talent as a soloist does not fail to impress. Iron Mask’s rhythm section features Magic Kingdom band members Vassili Moltchanov on bass and Anton Arkhipov on drums. Keeping his regular rhythm section together on Hordes of the Brave gives the album a noticeably solid foundation. Moltcahnov and Arkhipov breeze through Petrossi’s at times difficult symphonic arrangements with ease and power, perfectly contributing to the album’s forward momentum.



What I liked best about Hordes of the Brave is the fact that it is very heavy and powerful, but at the same time incredibly listenable, especially for a progressive metal album. I believe that this strange relationship between its driving rhythms and sweet melodies is in no small way due to Petrossi’s fantastic ear for symphonic arrangements and his great choice in musicians to fill out his band. This is an epic album in all sense of the word.