Stated without any irony. clearly what the metal world needs right now is more songs like “Surrender to the Blade,” more albums with titles like Eternal Steel and more album covers with three-headed black panthers on them. It’s a tr00 metal trifecta courtesy of Texas death quintet I Am—Andrew Hileman (vocals), Tom Reyes (guitar), Chris Burgess (guitar), Erik Rodriguez (bass), Brandon Busa (drums)—who aren’t messing around in their latest video, featuring armor-clad knights walloping the crap out of each other while the band thrashes it up.
“Surrender to the Blade” offers a solid preview of what’s in store for I Am’s third full-length, a strapping mix of deathly growls, thrashy riffs and a concussive rhythm section. Eternal Steel is pretty much everything the title and cover promise. And there’s a fucking three-headed black panther on the cover! The album is set for release on Sept 9 via MNRK Heavy Records oand will be available n CD, LP, cassette and digitally. You can preorder it here.
This is what guitarist Tom Reyes had to say about the track:
“When I sat down and that first riff came out, immediately the idea was to just make a metal headbanging anthem. Nothing flashy or complex, we just wanted it to sound huge and capture a good groove. [First single] ‘The Iron Gate’ was a newer direction for us, so with each step in that direction, we wanted to compliment a twist on our heavy roots. Actually, the verse riff was meant for a song on Hard 2 Kill—hats off to anyone who can guess which one—but it ended up being a much better fit for this song. Then [founding vocalist] Andrew [Hileman]’s lyrical concept fit perfectly with the instrumental. You hear the first riff and it’s a no-brainer; it’s a raising-your-sword-for-battle-type of anthem.”
