An interesting intersection of fiction and music is that of sword & sorcery and heavy metal. I have written in the past about Howie Bentley’s fiction. Writing sword & sorcery is not his day job though. He is a guitar player of heavy metal for Cauldron Born, Briton Rites, Karnstein, and Blacksword. His latest is his band Cauldron Born’s Cold Steel for the Necromancer. This c.d. is only a few months old.

I am not a heavy metal guy but I enjoy guitar in various guises whether Jeff Beck, Robert Fripp, Keith Levene, Johnny Marr, Vini Reilly, Captain Sensible, or Billy Duffy. I can enjoy the bombast of heavy metal such as Pile Driver’s “Metal Inquisition.”

Songs:

Where There is No Sanctuary

Full Moon Revenant

Cold Steel for the Necromancer

Thannhausefeer’s Guest

For an Unnamed Succubus

Steel Juggernaut

Mask of the God Hunter

A Grim Homecoming/Phantom-Clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice.

Howie Bentley: Electric guitars, all acoustic guitars

Matthew Knight: All lead and backing vocals, keyboards, effects

Alex Parra: Electric guitars

Mike Lepond: Bass guitar

Bill Parsons: Drums

I have been blasting this c.d. in my car on the way to work to get in the right mood. Lyrically, it reminds me of some of Blue Oyster Cult’s songs like “Black Blade.” You will recognize names in the songs from Howie Bentley’s fiction. These are epics.

“With the stolen heart of a demon

the necromancer is drunk with power

Raising legions from the dead

Now, approach the hour.

Argatry met in battle, the wizard’s lich horde

Those who are already dead don’t die by the sword”

Musically, this is 80s derived heavy metal. If you like Iron Maiden, you will like Cauldron Born. Matthew Knight’s vocals are like Bruce Dickinson and Ronnie James Dio. Knight has a wide range and hits some high notes without straining. I really enjoy the alternating guitar solos between Bentley and Parra. There is some major guitar shredding here. I dare you not to do air guitar listening to this c.d. The musical interchange has not been one way. I have turned Howie onto Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy.

You can order Cold Steel for the Necromancer and other Cauldron Born and Briton Rites albums at echoesofcromrecords.com. This is good background music while reading sword & sorcery fiction. As the song says: “If you are not a metal-head, you might as well be dead.”