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Medieval Steel > The Dungeon Tapes > Reviews
Medieval Steel - The Dungeon Tapes

The best of 80's American power - 90%

GhostlyNavigator, March 2nd, 2023
Written based on this version: 2022, CD, Classic Metal Records (Reissue)

Medieval Steel is a band that, for all intents and purposes, should've blown up big time in the 80's. Their self-titled EP from 1984 had all the tools to spawn a successful full-length if only the band hadn't been placed on the treadmill to nowhere by their new record label Megaforce (decent if you were a thrash band, dubious if your genre didn't fit their marketing strategy). Still, said EP achieved cult status among headbangers and bands alike, yet even more arcane was their bootlegged demo from 1989. Recorded around '86-'87 and not released in any official capacity, it would represent the last material that was heard from the band for many a year as heavy metal would approach its dark age at the turn of the 90's and Medieval Steel's core members would focus on other musical projects (sometimes together). At long last, 2005 would see the release of “The Dungeon Tapes”, a compilation of almost all their 80's recorded material as well as two previously-unreleased tracks.

Roughly the first half of this album represents the untitled '89 demo, with the second half containing the “Medieval Steel” EP from '84. One can notice certain stylistic differences between the two halves, with the newer material more straightforward heavy metal with somewhat subdued guitars while the older material was balls-to-the-wall, bombastic power metal. This is explained by lineup changes: Jeff Jones and John Roth manned the guitar regiment on the '84 EP while Scott Jones took over in '86. His guitar work was competent but more mid-tempo and lacked the intense, energetic shredding of the previous axe-wielding duo, who can be seen on the gloriously low-budget music video for the eponymous track “Medieval Steel” (Roth provided the more elaborate sections of its guitar solo in all his pouty, guyliner-clad glory. Hey, it was the 80's and everyone was trying to glam it up at least a little bit. He would later go on to join Winger, much to the delight of Stewart Stevenson). In spite of these shifts in style, the compilation as a whole provides for a highly satisfying listening experience. I must admit that vocalist Bobby Franklin is quite underrated and had all the makings of a fan favorite power metal singer; he could hit some pretty high notes and I don't think I'm out of line when I put forth that his voice sounds like a combination of Geddy Lee and Joacim Cans, so more or less ideal for the band's style and subject matter.

“Eyes of Fire” starts the disc off on the right foot as a melodic and energetic opener. “Ghost from the Battlefield” is a new composition recorded when the crew got back together in 2004, a moodier, mid-tempo track that shows how the band hadn't lost their edge when it comes to lyric writing, a strong point throughout their career. Among their '89 stuff, “To Kill a King” is closer stylistically to their power metal roots by keeping a strong, mid-tempo rhythm focusing on narrative; it's all about the ambiance as we listen to a tale of villainous wartime deeds in medieval times, all strung together with suitable introduction, rising action and denouement. Proper troubadours, the boys from Tennessee are. “Lost in the City” is a never-before-heard track from their '87 sessions that wasn't included on “Demo '89”, even though it probably should've been as it fit right in with the aesthetics of the mid-to-late 80's, with its high-pitched vocals and glam-influenced but tasteful delivery. But probably the best song from this first half of the disc is “Tears in the Rain”, which had the best chances of achieving commercial success and airplay if only “Demo '89” had been properly published and distributed; not quite a ballad but a more romantic rocker, it could be thought of as a ballad with balls and showed some discrete Maiden influence in its bassline. Stylistically, it reminded me of “We Could Be Together” by Loudness the more I listened to it, but with a more powerful and catchy chorus...As an aside, the track “Just Too Late” from the demo was not included on this compilation (or on “The Anthology of Steel”) and it was probably for the best, as it was a patently mediocre ballad that would've had a lot of trouble following “Tears in the Rain” and dragged the album down. There are times when a piss-poor ballad has ended an otherwise perfect album on a sour note and I'm not even balladphobic, just particular in my standards for the song genre.

The last four tracks are the “Medieval Steel” EP in its entirety, though not in the same order as published in '84, instead arranged as a crescendo of sorts (saving the best for last, if you will). “Battle Beyond the Stars” marks a departure from the band's main stomping grounds of the middle ages and blasts off into the space age. Bobby dishes out some of his best vocals here and you would be forgiven for thinking that the song would not feel entirely out of place on Rush's “2112”. After a decent blues-inspired ballad in "Echoes", the two strongest songs on this compilation finally assail the speakers: “Warlords” and “Medieval Steel”, likely the best-known track in the band's repertoire. Jeff Jones and John Roth's guitar tag team comes at you fast and furious on “Warlords” and is even more memorable on the band's eponymous track (from their eponymous debut), one of those songs that just grabs you by the lapels and hooks you in, leaving you with the knowledge that you will be wanting to hear more from the band. From the fittingly 80's, Conanesque spoken intro, through the blistering guitar solo and arriving at Bobby Franklin dialing the high-pitched heavy/power metal vocals to 11, this track goes out of its way to be memorable both musically and lyrically.

All in all, “The Dungeon Tapes” is a very enjoyable listen from start to finish and showcases the varied catalog of a band that evokes such terms as “cult favorite” or “hidden gem”. One is left wondering what could've been if they were signed by a record label that was actually serious about fostering and promoting them, instead of not achieving their full potential during heavy metal's golden era not unlike Warrior. American power metal is a strange animal when it came to establishing a scene distinct from its European counterpart and Medieval Steel could certainly be considered among the pioneers of the scene back in the 80's, but ever since the revival of the overarching genre as a whole starting in the late 90's, the knights of Memphis have enjoyed a resurrection. With two proper full-length studio albums under their belt since 2013, here's hoping that they keep going strong and that more listeners discover their music. When it comes to old-school power metal from the US of A, many a listener would mention Manowar or Manilla Road as the heavyweight standard-bearers but as far as I'm concerned, “The Dungeon Tapes” offers pretty much the best of what the 80's had to offer with all of the strong points and none of the weak points.

Standout tracks: To Kill a King, Tears in the Rain, Battle Beyond the Stars, Warlords, Medieval Steel

Great Melodic and Epic Metal - 88%

Theli, June 29th, 2007

I had heard a lot about this band from some people who are really in touch with the underground traditional metal scene of the 80's, so I decided to check out their website. They had some song samples on there, I listened to about half of them and was turned off, too weak sounding.

Almost a year later I was recommended to buy the album by someone whose taste in metal I really trusted. Fuck it, why not? I'm glad I did, the samples on their website didn't represent the power that this band has at all. Bobby Franklin has some of the best pipes around. He has a really melodic vocals style that could rank up there with the greats like Geoff Tate, Brian Ross or Bob Parduba. The Dungeon Tapes is a compilation that features songs recorded during 83, 85, 87 and 2004 and thus has many different musicians coming and going. Even though they've had several different guitarists through out the years, each song always has a good solo to cap it off, always just the right speed, melody and feel for the specific song.

I have to give a nod to Echoes, a ballad, for Franklin's amazing thespian vocal delivery. Normally I'm not a big fan of ballads but Franklin's vocals really soar on this song and give it a really fresh feel. My favourite tracks on this album are Warlords, Medieval Steel and Ghost From the Battlefield. Warlords (from the '84 self titled EP) is straight up heavy metal with a real crushing and driving main riff and some more soaring vocals from Franklin. Medieval Steel (from the '84 s/t EP) is the epic of the album, with a spoken word intro that wouldn't be out of place on a Manowar or Manilla Road album. It starts with a slow intro and a driving riff, somehow reminiscent of Hallowed Be Thy Name, and then leads into the chorus and a nice melodic guitar solo. Just after the repetition of the chorus comes a ripping solo that tops any other one on the album and leads into a great faster part that ends with some great falsetto screams from Franklin. Ghost From the Battlefield is a new track from 2004 and really didn't click with me on first listen, but man, it's one hell of a grower. There is nobody in the metal scene today who is making metal like this. This is real heavy metal! Ghost From the Battlefield features the best drumming on the albums with the perfect back beat and great rolling fills. The main riff is something new and fresh, the like I have never heard in metal before. The solo is decent too, but not as good as their original guitarists'.

Overall this album is really a great album, but it has huge emphasis on melody and it's evident that this band was around before the thrash explosion. I recommend this album for fans of Blitzkrieg, early Manowar, and early Queensryche.

Great 80's epic/power metal. - 85%

TrogBog, April 4th, 2007

Oldschool American Power/Epic Metal, similar to other cult heavy metal bands in the 80's such as the Virgin Steele, Manilla Road and Omen. What else could you expect from a band named Medieval Steel?

While other power metal bands perfected their sound, Medieval Steel remained inactive, they reformed a few years back and are working on their debut, yes their first debut in 25 years! What's so special about this band is that their sound never raised above that underground, raw production. And it is that that is truly great about this band, they have kept the sound of the 80's, unlike other bands that have ''modernized''. Take the sound on Vigrin Steele's first two albums and mix it with some mid-period Manilla Road and that is what you have here - Raw power/epic metal. Their clonnes are basically Brocas Helm, another cult power metal band that never changed their raw cd productions.

What we have here is technically a best of compliation cd, i say technically because there are 3 new songs on this cd, while the rest are taken from the Demo or EP. As i have said their sound has not changed at all on the recorded new songs, then the other 6 songs recorded through the mid-80's. It's all good, but raw epic metal.

The highlight's of this album would be of course their best hit 'Medieval Steel' which is unarguebly one of the best songs of the underground 80's in heavy metal. This song has it all: medieval lyrics, powerful semi-narrated vocals, great riffs, epic drumming. Need i say more. This is a quality album, because there is not a weak or non-fitting song. 85/100