Exiled Hope/Steel Forge – Realm of the Exiled Review

This is the first split album, or better, split EP of this year. Split albums are a kind of living fossils. I’ll elaborate. Back then in the 1980’s, split albums were the way independent bands had to split the costs of recording an album because as independent bands all the recording costs were theirs. Remember that back then those costs were pretty high and bands had to go to studios to record their albums. There was no other way. Nowadays, with all the evolution on recording equipment and gears, things got easier. It’s possible to record a professional album at home just using your computer. Costs are incredibly lower. Of course that being in a professional studio is also an unforgetable experience, so, maybe, that’s why bands still record split albums.

Ok, here we’ve got Exiled Hope/Steel Forge with “Realm of the Exiled” with 6 tracks that are equally split with the bands. Steel Forge come first with their share of Melodic Death Metal. Then come Steel Forge with their mix of Symphonic Metal and Extreme Metal. Interestingly, Exiled Hope are the one-woman project band where mastermind Sofia Frasz with all instruments and all vocals. A thing that has been getting very usual nowadays as well.

Well, as I said before, Steel Forge had their share of 3 tracks of their Melodic Death Metal with some slants of Symphonic Metal in the initial moments of “A Light in the Darkness” where acoustic instruments and some keyboards take the lead giving the album a very melodic intent. I personally liked the dirty tones of the lead guitars. The brew the band delivers us here is some kind of impressive in regard of being a debut album. Truth be told, bands today are much more professional that they were in the past. Following track “The Calling” follows the formula being very melodic as well what contrasts with the dark and ragy vocals of Danny Hell. Again, what calls my attention is the dirty and naive tones of the lead guitar. There is much more emotion than technique in the way Luke Hanvey plays. The initial instrumentals of “Fate’s Design” are a very 1980’s inspired track. The guitar riffing leads to a great remembrance of the good old days of Metal music. Soon, the track acquires Steel Forge‘s signature to turn into something more complex in terms of layers of sounds.

Exiled Hope come breaking the mood with an even more complex music. Truth be told, mastermind Sofia Frasz knew very well how to make her abdn stand out. Her share of tracks stand out immeadiately due to the extreme quality of the recording and the songwriting. It calls the eye her vocal range in tracks as “Beyond the Veil” where she starts giving it some kind of 1980’s Gothic intent to turn into a very modern Symphonic Metal with all the vocal variations. Another interesting feature of her share is that the 3 tracks are very different from each other. In general, the self-projects are much more monolithic in therms of sonancies. It’s fair to say, though, that with “Beyond the Veil” Exiled Hope are best represented. It follows a great guitar solo in the end. “Approaching Resurrection” is faster with more Symphonic Metal features as the keyboards and some electronic effects. It’s an interesting track due to an annoying effect that keeps bugging in the initial moments until vocal takes over. Here she gives her cruelest gutural voice. Grand finale is with “Epilogue” with its classical music crowing.

I have to say that “Realm of the Exiled” is a surprising album with two bands that stand out honoring the tradition of split albums.

Exiled Hope/Steel Forge “Realm of the Exiled” was independently released on January 10th.

Track Listing:

  1. A Light in the Darkness
  2. The Calling
  3. Fate’s Design
  4. Beyond the Veil
  5. Approaching Resurrection
  6. Epilogue

Watch “Fates Design” official lyric video here:

Watch “Approaching Resurection” official lyric video here: