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I rather liked this band's debut album back in 2020, and I thought they were a band to keep an eye on. Finally getting hold of their follow-up a bit late, I see I was not wrong, as this shows improvement on all fronts. Master of War sees Steel Arctus take their straight-up Manowar worship and take it to the next level, pulling in more Hellenic sounds like Battle Ram, Holy Martyr, and Wotan without sounding too much like any one band. Pounding rhythms, chugging riffs, and Tasos Lazaris's wailing vocal lines make for a high-energy sound when they keep the pedal to the metal, as on the title cut and songs like "God of Fire." If this band has a failing it's that some of the songs repeat too much and go on too long for what they have, but overall this is a strong album.