KIUAS: SUPERCHARGED METAL SUPREMACY FROM FINLAND

As I delve head-first into my recent exploration of the modern power epic metal scene what I’m learning is this: there’s a LOT of perfectly competent but ultimately mediocre bands in this genre but few very good ones. Thanks to Suckalo Max Dohmeyer I’ve found a new favorite in Kiuas, “an awesome thrashy, power-esque, melodic metal band from Finland” as he describes it. This is definitely the best power-ish band I’ve heard since Mercenary, who appear likely to jump the shark.

A day after Max’s email we got an official press release about their new album Lustdriven (coming March 31st), so presumably something good’s percolating around Kiuas. What’s interesting is that this band really isn’t all that cheesy; they’re just good. It’s like the best parts of In Flames, Children of Bodom, Mercenary and Firewind — from their respective best albums — all rolled into one with some other kind of thrashy element that I can’t put a finger on. They’re all great musicians, natch. Kiuas have a new song called “The Visionary” posted today, but I don’t like it as much as I do the older new song “Aftermath.”

Furthermore, I’m done using the word “power” to describe this kind of music because it’s truly so different from Rhapsody, DragonForce or even Manowar or Iron Maiden. From this point forward this kind of metal shall be called Epic Metal. Copyright Vince Neilstein 2010.

-VN