Enchanted Steel - Might and Magic (2025)

Country: Poland
Style: Symphonic Power Metal
Rating: 6/10
Release Date: 2 Jan 2025
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I hadn't heard of Enchanted Steel before, but they're a one man band from Poland, that one man being Arion Galadriel, or Mikołaj Kowalik, as he's known when he does the same thing in one man symphonic black metal band Yog-Sothoth. This is symphonic too but power metal and it's obviously designed to bring colourful fantasy landscapes to mind, just like the cover art, and in just as bright a fashion. Everything's upbeat and comradely, even when the lyrics hint at darkness. This is a clean fantasy world when heroes will always vanquish their foes and the only time it rains is to show the fortitude of those heroes as they struggle through it regardless.

I don't know precisely what Kowalik plays here, other than everything, and I mention that because it feels fundamentally keyboard-driven, even when instruments could be something else. I wonder if he's playing a drumkit or programming a drum machine. I wonder if he's blistering through some sort of DragonForce-esque guitar solo or using a guitar filter on a synthesiser. The only thing that I didn't wonder was about his voice, which is fine in frantic sections but shows its limitations in more mellow parts. That's a real and honest voice, even if it isn't the typical lead singer's voice.

DragonForce are one side of the sound and a frequent one, but it's not the only one. The Flame of Warrior's Might is much slower and softer and more reminiscent of European power metal bands, as well as Manowar, who are apparent in some of the epic vocal structures and also the fact that I can't quite tell how serious Kowalik is. Everything here's played straight, at least until the bizarre bonus track, called No Cock Like Horse Cock, which is clearly not meant to be taken seriously in the slightest, not only because of its lyrics, which are roughly what you might expect from its title, but also because it's a pop punk song wrapping up a symphonic power metal album for no reason that I can fathom.

However, how seriously are we supposed to take Keeper of the Seven Beers, which is ironically over in under three minutes, given how Helloween can sprawl instrumentally, but then it owes more to Alestorm than the German pioneers. And what about Quest for the Battle of Battle, with its lyrics that are so redundant and generic that they veer deep into parody. The chorus, for instance, kicks off with "We're on a quest for the battle of battle, on a quest for the battle of fight", so ridiculous that it could win awards. Kowalik's command of the English language isn't problematic elsewhere, so either these are old lyrics he couldn't be bothered to rewrite or he has his tongue firmly placed within his cheek. Then again, it is another song fuelled by an barrelling Alestorm approach.

What's frustrating is that there's some serious talent in here, both in songwriting structure and in the guitar solos. The latter may not be particularly complex but they're damn fast and they sound highly impressive. It isn't trivial to sound like Herman Li at the best of times, but it's not trivial to shift over to André Olbrich of Blind Guardian on the next track and make it seem natural. Kowalik can clearly play, whether he's actually playing a guitar or mimicking one on a synth. Check out the beginning of The Greatest Warriors and see what you think on that front. My favourite solos show up on Keeper of the Seven Beers and We'll Fight.

I'd like to know more about Kowalik. I googled around and discovered that he's a nineteen year old student who clearly loves metal and wants to make it himself. Right now, he's doing that entirely on his own in an undisclosed part of Poland and throwing it up onto Bandcamp to see how folk will respond to it. I don't think this is entirely successful for a number of reasons, but there's talent on show that I hope finds a better outlet in a real band with other members who can do this on stage as well as in the studio.

It doesn't help that my favourite songs are probably Keeper of the Seven Beers and Quest for the Battle of Battle, even though my brain screams at me that they can't be taken seriously. However, they just rock. They blister along with emphasis and the hooks are powerful. I respond to them on every listen. Quest for the Elven Blade is another song that I find irresistible and, once again, it's Alestorm-influenced. Maybe that's the band he can mimic best. The worst song for me is one that doesn't come close to Alestorm, namely The Flame of Warrior's Might. It relies on vocals far more than the instruments and he just doesn't have the chops to make it work.

So this is a real mixed bag, fascinating but problematic, impressive but with serious caveats. For me, it asks a lot of questions and doesn't answer any of them.