23. June 2025
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Media Review

I Am – Eternal Steel

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

I Am - Eternal Steel

I Am - Eternal Steel
3.8

Rating

 3.8/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very solid album
  • Good melodic work

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Highlights are missing

The US-American death metal band I Am already releases their third album. I received Eternal Steel rather early, well before its release on 9th September 2022. Here are my thoughts about the release.

 

I Am – About The Artists

I am is a death metal quintet from Texas. Their lead singer is Andrew Hileman, the instruments are played by Tom Reyes and Chris Burgess (both guitar), Erik Rodriguez (bass) and Ian Scott (drums). Their debut album has been Life Through Torment, which has been released in February 2017. In November 2018, the band added Hard 2 Kill to their long-play discography.

 

I Am – Eternal Steel – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 41 minutes.

1. The Primal Wave

I Am give you some thirty seconds to check out if your sound machine is still working fine – then they fire the metal afterburners. Andrew Hileman is pushing the growl-o-meter to full power, his instrumental colleagues join in. Very nice groovy style.

2. Surrender To The Blade

The drums are stomping, the guitars are marching forward. Surrender To The Blade goes for a slightly slower tempo in the rhythm. However, that gives I am more opportunities to develop quite a multi-faceted song, especially regarding the comparably short duration of 3:23 minutes. Some nice opportunities to growl with the band towards the end of this one.

3. The Iron Gate

The Iron Gate has been one of the single releases of the album so far. The songs starts with a focus on the guitars, who present some chords with a slight support by drummer Ian Scott. After one minute, you feel that this track could be a Pink Floyd one. But the diamond is not shining on in here and the Texas guys present a slow, but very intense and groovy song, which is introducing full speed elements towards the middle of the four minute track.

4. Eternal Steel

Right after The Iron Gate, the band is presenting the title track of the album. The song moves through very different section, from slow and deep-dark moments to speedy guitar riff lines with fast drumming support. Very good word by Erik Rodriguez on the bass here.

5. Vicious Instinct

Vicious Instinct is one of the songs on Eternal Steel, which caught me most from the very first moment. Very nice melodic and atmospheric elements breaking into hard metal sections. The presence of the title is a bit repetitive, but also makes you sing along very quickly. Good track for an on-stage opportunity.

6. Infernal Panther

The death metal meeting with the Infernal Panther almost lasts five minutes and is thus the longest song on the album. This leads to a very nice listening experience. The Texas band makes use of that time nicely and develops the individual parts of the song very nicely. Sounds a bit like a symphony, doesn’t it? Classic concert listeners would flee from the concert hall in the speedy middle part latest, I guess.

7. Queen Incarnate

Queen Incarnate is just some thirty seconds shorter than the most epic song, right before, but it feels more brave, almost too nice. A nice warm-up track, but to me, this one is lacking the power of other works on this album. Maybe the pee break and get-some-new-beer track for the next tour?

8. Heaven On Earth

The eighth track opens with guitar riff line, before Heaven On Earth feels to go down into a very deep and dark work. Andrew Hileman is almost just whispering until the middle of the 3:29 minute song. Nice dramatic development and great work by the two six-string guys.

9 Price Of Pain

The ninth song is one of my favorites on this album. The speedy, rhythmic opener paves you a nice route into the story of the song. Overall, the song has a nice drive and good vocal and instrumental elements.

10. Eye Candy

Is the Eye Candy also an ear candy for death metal listeners? At least they try to introduce some new elements into this song, which I highly appreciate. The setup of backing vocals works quite nice in here.

11. Manic Cure

The metal chucker-out song of this album is Manic Cure. While the first part of the song does not persuade me too much, the last two minutes lead to a pleasing farewell from this album.

 

I Am – Eternal Steel – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

I Am – Eternal Steel – My View

The songs of Eternal Steel are good. The arrangements are well done and there are some parts and songs which stay in your mind. Nonetheless, I feel that there is something missing. The special element, the catcher, the key reason, why this album is a must-listen compared to other death metal ones. If the band can develop it, I am will be in the very high ratings.

 

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