Alvaro Soler

Hugo TSR

Battle Beast

Silence was reigning in the camp of Finnish heavy metallers BATTLE BEAST during the last few months… The group had retired to forge their brand-new, fourth studio album. But now the young beast-tamers with powerwoman Noora Louhimo are back with a loud roar entitled »Bringer Of Pain«!

Formed in 2008 BATTLE BEAST won the Wacken Metal Battle back in 2010. Followed by signing a record deal with German metal powerhouse Nuclear Blast and releasing their highly-acclaimed debut album »Steel« (2012), the band were seen touring successfully with their labelmates, symphonic metal masters NIGHTWISH.

After the arrival of new frontwoman Noora Louhimo in 2012, the release of their self-titled sophomore record (2013) delivered them support slots for well-known bands such as SONATA ARCTICA and POWERWOLF among others.

BATTLE BEAST’s unstoppable way to the top of the metal world went on: With their third studio album entitled »Unholy Savior«, the band hit the charts in several European countries (#1 Finland, #23 UK Rock, #39 Germany,…). On the release day, the group embarked on a big European tour with Swedish heavy metal heroes SABATON and DELAIN. In support of this record, BATTLE BEAST also toured European soil as a headlining band for the very first time.

But now the time of the »Bringer Of Pain« is here: Once more, the Finns have crafted a top-notch piece of powerful heavy metal with the incomparably strong roars of frontbeast Noora Louhimo, catchy keyboards and earworm invasions. From the opening classical up-tempo opening track, "Straight To The Heart" to the last note of the closing ballad "Far From Heaven" BATTLE BEAST’s new opus is full of heaviness and emotions.

“The title is more than just a catchy punchline,” bassist Eero Sipilä explains. "Bring the pain" as a phrase means giving your best, stepping up against the odds - something that really sums up the spirit of this band and this album. The fact that the name also brought to mind a certain JUDAS PRIEST album definitely didn’t hurt either...”

Recorded and produced at JKB Studios by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, the 10-track album was also mixed by him alongside Viktor Gullichsen and Mikko Karmila, while mastering was done by Mika Jussila at the world famous Finnvox Studios. The colourful cover artwork was crafted by the specialist of realistic fantasy art, Jan Yrlund, who already worked with KORPIKLAANI and TYR among others and delivered a true piece of crazy metal art:

“The cover art is mainly involved with the title track of the album, »Bringer Of Pain« which - obviously - is about this super evil female character destroying stuff. We brainstormed a little around this topic and then sent some sketches to Jan (Yrlund), who returned with the picture: Some mean-looking woman who appears like she's coming through the box art to kick your ass. And since "kicking ass" is pretty much exactly what this band is about, we considered it a very fitting cover.”

And "no pain, no gain" has definitely been an issue during the last two years of the Finnish highflyers - in the middle of their touring cycle for the critically acclaimed »Unholy Savior«, they split with guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen, but soon revealed Joona Björkroth as a new fulltime member. Although fans might have feared a major style change, the Finns managed to keep their true signature sound alive:

“Most elements of our signature sound are still very much intact. Joona [Björkroth; guitars] has been a friend of the band for a long time, and he always understood what BATTLE BEAST is about, both musically and ideologically. You could say the spirit of BATTLE BEAST was in him before he even joined, and that shows in his songwriting. Of course, when you have six people, each with their own ideas, influences and wishes, some clashes can’t be avoided when conveying the creative energies. But in the end, I think that all works for the benefit of the band. With »Bringer Of Pain« we managed to strike a good balance between sticking to our signature sound and covering some new ground. Keeping things fun and interesting while still sounding like ourselves.”

And they do indeed. In the end, BATTLE BEAST’s formula is as simple as can be - so prepare for “100% Heavy Metal - 0% Bullshit!”

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