Album review: Master Sword—Shadow and Steel (2018)

Album: Shadow and Steel

Artist: Master Sword

Genre: Symphonic/fantasy metal

Label: Independent

Tracks: 10

Total time: 58:54

*Originally posted at the Female-Fronted Power Facebook page.*

For all the talk these days about the state of modern music and where the music industry is going, I still think that it is a pretty exciting time to be a music fan. Now, more than ever, the listener has more power to custom-fit their tastes to their liking. No longer limited to radio or other mainstream avenues to be force-fed the music we should like, the playing field is wide open and there is literally a musical genre for everything.

In the world of metal, this tailor-made customization has taken hold as well; many bands specializing in a particular theme. There is Alestorm, who writes all about pirates; or Battlelore, whose songs all center around the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. There are bands that write about nothing but Vikings or zombies or comic book heroes—if you are into something, it’s very likely there is a metal band right now writing the soundtrack for that thing.

Video games are another niche market that have found a home within metal and one of these bands who are taking this new genre and raising the bar is Master Sword, a “heavy metal Zelda tribute band”. Their music pays homage to The Legend of Zelda video game series, one of the most beloved video game franchises of all time for over 30 years.

It is apparent when you hear them that Master Sword knows their material well and that they all share a deep love and respect for these games. As a Zelda fan myself, I can appreciate the way they use familiar musical parts from the games to craft a heavy tune and to further embellish on the rich narrative of the stories within these games. With their 4-song debut EP Epoch, Master Sword managed to open the doors to Hyrule (and all its parallel universes) and unfolded its vast landscape through music. Now, after over 2 years, the band’s long-awaited full-length album is here. Shadow and Steel promises to live up to the long wait and big expectations and they do not disappoint.

From the second the opening track “Behind the Mirror” hits, Master Sword takes you and pulls you into the Zelda universe. The music is charged with a feeling of anticipation, as Lily Hoy’s wildly high vocals invite you on an adventure. “Let me Show You the Night” is both eerie and seductive; a play on the darkly-themed Twilight Princess game.

What I really love about Master Sword’s music is the way they incorporate bits and pieces of other Zelda theme music into songs that are based on another theme, such as the song “Tower of Stone”, which is a reference to my favorite Zelda game of all time, Majora’s Mask, and the Stone Tower Temple, a dungeon that has become a fan-favorite to play, even among those who do not cite this as a favorite game. This near 7-minute track is filled with ambiance (I especially love the ’70s-style keyboards; very prog!), especially if you have played these games before and know the references. Even if you haven’t, the lyrics set up the visuals to where one could almost see the old, decaying tower that holds the ancient secrets of the dead.

Of course, Master Sword is not all about leaning on Zelda riffs. Much of their material is original stuff, with a few bits and pieces of Zelda themes peppered in or lyrics that are direct references to games, such as the songs “Kiss of the Flame” and “Beneath the Skin”, both of which have a good deal of original material, but also incorporate some well-known riffs from the games Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, respectively.

However, they would not call themselves a “Zelda tribute band” for nothing: songs like “Sanctuary”, “Master of the Seas” and “Isle of the Sky Spirits” are all songs that heavily incorporate themes from various games, tugging at the heartstrings of every ’80s and ’90s kid who grew up with these games and still love them today. I know I felt a little bit of nostalgia when the song “Master of the Seas” ended with the memorable “Song of Time”, a theme any Zelda fan will know immediately.  

The music, like the games, is very epic in scope; such as “Beneath the Skin” and “Master if the Seas”, the two songs that clock in at just under 9 minutes. However, this grandeur is never more apparent than when Master Sword goes full-on Zelda and covers the iconic “Hyrule Field” theme. If you have ever played the game Ocarina of Time (deemed one of the greatest video games of all time and the most beloved of the Zelda franchise by many fans), this music is instantly familiar to you, as Master Sword takes that open-world sense of adventure and revs it up, making that feeling of wonder even more exciting and inspiring. In just a little over 4 minutes, Master Sword manages to capture all that same power and majesty of the 8 or 9-minute songs. You almost feel like jumping on the back of a horse and riding across the open lands! The final track, “My Destined One”, is also another Zelda theme done Master Sword-style; this one a take on the theme from the most current Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, a gentle, mellow acoustic ballad that wraps up the album nicely.

Overall, if you are a fan of the Zelda games, then Master Sword has a lot here for you to enjoy. You will recognize parts of various games and the references in their lyrics will be easy to understand. However, even if you are not a fan of the games or have not played them much, you can still enjoy Master Sword’s music, because they are a damn good band. The riffs are heavy, the musical style leans more towards progressive or symphonic metal and Lily’s voice is one that needs to be heard to be believed. Her voice is just insane (I mean this in a good way)! If you like heavy music with a bit of a “soundtrack” feel, then Master Sword is worth checking out. You may feel like you have stepped inside a video game when you are listening to Shadow and Steel, because it does make for great game-play music. If Master Sword existed in Hyrule, they might possibly even make Tingle do his special fairy dance. Koo-loo Limpah!

*Thanks to Henk van Nieuwenhoven at Female-Fronted Power.

*Special thanks to Matt Farkas for providing all photos.

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*This review is dedicated to the memory of Zellie Blake: 1982-2010.*

“Whenever there is a meeting, a parting shall follow. But that parting needs not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while...that is up to you.”

—The Happy Mask Salesman, Majora's Mask

Mini-review: Master Sword—Epoch (EP) (2015)

 

 Epoch album cover

Album: Epoch

Artist: Master Sword

Genre: Power metal

Tracks: 4

Total time: 20:02

Since I write primarily about music on this site, I don't get the chance very often to talk about my interests or hobbies outside of music, so few of you (if any) know little to nothing about other things that I like.

Like many metal fans, I am a huge fan of video games (however, as I do not own the newest and latest consoles, I cannot in good conscience call myself a gamer, as much as I would like to). One of my favorite video game series of all time is The Legend of Zelda series. Link has been my constant companion for nearly 30 years, ever since I was 8 or 9 years old. In many respects he is the perfect man: he never speaks, and he is always willing and ready to lend a helping hand to a lady! He also has a bad-boy streak: he loves to go into the homes of strangers and smash their pottery to take the money they have hidden in there. He goes into battle fearlessly and never hesitates to take on any favor asked of him, no matter how great or small.

Like any other man, he also has his faults: chickens are his Achilles' heel, and he has a penchant for sleeping in. Sometimes he also tends to hang out with the wrong crowd, like annoying little fairies that are yelling, “hey, listen!” in his ear every 5 seconds; or playing games with masked children who want to destroy the world. But he is kind to animals, is a true-blue friend who can ride a horse, sail a boat, and travel through time. His spirit reincarnates through several timelines and alternate universes. He's the only man who can wield the Master Sword. He is the destined hero of Hyrule. Link is a certified bad-ass.

So then, with all of these epic qualifications, it only stands to reason that The Legend of Zelda works perfectly with power metal. They both share many similar attributes. Much as I love the Zelda soundtracks, I also find that listening to power metal when playing the games works nicely as well. There are certain albums that just work with the ambiance of Zelda games, and one of my favorite things about playing a new Zelda game is finding that perfect album to complement it.

Apparently, I must not be the only one who does this, because one power metal band has taken it a step further. What Battlelore is to Tolkien's writing, Master Sword is to the Zelda games. This is a band dedicated to writing songs based on the Zelda series; either elaborating on the tales told in the games, or giving a metal version of a beloved theme, Master Sword is meeting the demand of combining the worlds of Zelda and of power metal, because they belong together and it is actually quite surprising that this hasn't already been done.

Calling upon their fellow musicians in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area, Master Sword has put together a roster of talent to bring these songs to life and to bring Zelda fans that much closer to Hyrule.

 “The Mountain (One Last Fight)”: From the moment the opening notes begin, you are instantly transported to the landscape of Hyrule, if you are a Zelda fan. You can almost see it right before your eyes as you hear the music: you can see the rolling green hills of Hyrule Field, you sense the looming shadow of Death Mountain at your back, you can hear the lapping waters of Lake Hylia, and you can smell the scent of grass and hay from Lon-Lon Ranch. The chiming bells, the rising of the music makes you feel as if you are beginning an adventure. Then, a metal guitar riff of the iconic Zelda theme tells you exactly where you are. Chad Keyser (from the band Wild Storm) tells a tale of a young hero scaling a mountain to his destiny through his high-pitched screams. The song ebbs and flows, punctuated by fast, hard riffing, and then calming down to cadenced drumming and the chanting sing-song of The Goddess Choir.

 “The Forsaken Tribe”: The first song I heard from Master Sword, this heavy rendition of the Gerudo Valley theme tells the story of the all-female tribe of bad-ass pirates. Who better to sing their song than the Queen of Hell herself, A Sound of Thunder's own Nina Osegueda? There is only one male born to the Gerudo tribe every 100 years, and it just so happens he is the King of Evil, Link's arch-nemesis, Ganondorf. The Gerudo Valley theme is very Western in feel; it sounds like something you'd hear in a cowboy movie, and Master Sword kicks it up to the next level by adding in that dramatic power metal flair, coupled with Nina's insane vocals. The Gerudos are no-nonsense, take-charge kind of women, and somehow I can see Nina fitting in perfectly with them!

 “A Terrible Fate”: The familiar sounds that make up my favorite Zelda game, Majora's Mask, start off this track, and then the band rips it up seconds later, with a progressive-flavored jam for the ages. You can almost feel the sense of urgency as the clock ticks down in Termina and the band plays a variation of the boss battle music. The voice of Aries vocalist Rob Bradley comes in to tell us about the impending doom if you haven't noticed the giant moon descending to earth! You've only got 3 days to save the world, and you need to find as many masks as possible to make sure the world of Termina doesn't meet their impending doom. No pressure! In case you haven't read my previous reviews about Aries, then perhaps I should tell you that Rob's giant voice is perfect to represent the story of the 4 giants trying to hold back the moon from crashing into humanity.

“Legends”: The final track is much calmer and more mellow than the others; the Goddess Choir female voices are very Celtic-sounding, and the music is sparse and simple. Slow percussion, lovely guitars, and the strong female vocals. This song tells the tale of how Hyrule was submerged underwater so as to keep Ganondorf from rising and ruling again. Just when you think the song is going to end on a slow note, the band comes back in to give a rousing interpretation of the classic Legend of Zelda theme, complete with guitars and keyboards going back and forth in another prog-style rock-out; ending much the same way the EP began.

Overall opinion: If you are a Legend of Zelda fan, you owe it to yourself to check out Master Sword, even if you do not consider yourself a fan of rock or metal music. Zelda fans around the world have paid tribute to the works of Koji Kondo by putting their own spin on the music, and this is far more than just a rock version of the Zelda theme, or game music done with guitars. Lyrics are written that tell the listener a story, so that even for those who are not fans of the game or who are not familiar with the story can still follow along. You can tell by listening to this that these guys are fans of the games, obviously; but you can also tell that these are fans that know the source material and not only pay proper homage to it, but embellish it further with their own interpretation (much like the many “fan theory” videos that run rampant on the internet, which I admit I love to watch). What I love about power/progressive/symphonic metal more than any other genres, is the ability the music has to unfurl visions through the music. When you listen to each song, you can see the world of Hyrule (or Termina, in the case of “A Terrible Fate”) opening up before your eyes. You almost want to grab your ocarina and jam along! Maybe this is just me, as I am a fan of the games and through the various riffs here and there that are reminiscent of game music, I can easily envision the places that the music is referring to; but I would like to think that even the average listener can envision the fantasy world that Master Sword is painting with their music. If you listen to “The Forsaken Tribe” and honestly cannot envision a Gerudo warrior woman brandishing her double scimitars, or if you cannot feel the suffocating dread of uncertainty when you listen to “A Terrible Fate”, then either you have never played the Zelda games, or if you have, maybe you need to play them again because you haven't been paying attention! For only being 4 songs, this EP is a solid piece of work and I would love to hear a full-length album from Master Sword one of these days. There is 3 decades' worth of material for them to work with, so it's certainly a possibility!

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Special thanks to Nina Osegueda & Rob Bradley