Was enamored with the Swedes’ '16 Legion Of The Night debut. After a four year wait, that saw them replace BOTH guitarists, they've managed just a limited edition four track EP. Good luck finding one, as High Roller popped for just 500 copies! Damn shame. Hopefully there are a lot more Lethal Steel tunes in the pipeline, and soon.

So why bother reviewing something so obscure, from a band who seemingly can only get their shit together enough to write/record one song a year? Well, there are a ton of streaming services on which one can hear Running From The Dawn and despite the glacial pace to their work ethic, Lethal Steel are a worthy addition to any fan of traditional heavy metal. Besides, with all the extra time in front of screens (during the lockdown/virus crisis) we're all looking for something "new" to investigate. Dig deeper.

A trickle of rain and fingers sliding across acoustic guitar strings opens "Weekday Refugee", seemingly destined to be a ballad, but quickly locking into the Lethal's upbeat gallop. Come the guitar break, the pace enlivens further, the snare drum bashed to smithereens, trying to keep up. Usually in the higher (but not stratospheric) operatic register, occasional similarities to Paul Stanley's voice (mentioned in the interview) are still evident, in passing. "Stay Away" is a speedster, start to finish. It's also the longest cut, at 5:38. In contrast, Swedish language "Ge Allt" (translates to "Give everything") is the shortest offering. Still rapid, there's more of a distinctive NWOBHM flavor to this one. Speaking of varied tastes, "City Of Sin" closer is straight ahead ‘80s European metal, a heavy dose of melody between the echoing guitar tones.

Something of a cruel tease, this appetizer only release. Ready to devour the main course, maître d'. Serve away!