Titans have come together to form Death Dealer.
The alliance of Sean Peck (vocals, Cage, The Three Tremors, ex-Denner/Shermann), Ross “The Boss” Friedman (guitar, The Dictators, ex-Manowar), Stu Marshall (guitar, Empires of Eden, Night Legion, ex-Dungeon), Mike LePond (bass, Symphony X, Wings of Destiny, ex-Ross the Boss), and Steve Bolognese (drums, ex-Into Eternity, ex-Ross The Boss) returns to the forefront in 2026, releasing its fourth album, Reign Of Steel, in collaboration with Massacre Records.
The band kicks off with Assemble’s unifying melodies, a fairly accessible opening track focused on guitars that eventually transforms into a solid rhythm section where Sean lets loose, offering piercing screams in the purest tradition of the style. The riffs slow down to let the leads develop, but the vocalist returns with insane power before moving on to Devil’s Triangle, which in turn plays on haunting harmonics to increase its striking force. The vocalist remains very present, reinforcing the choruses with virulent parts or calming the playing on the more soothing break, then the rhythm section kicks in again to lead us to Riding On The Wings, which offers interesting dissonant touches before playing on catchy tones. The track is fairly simple but perfectly embodies the idea of melodic Heavy Metal before moving on to a more energetic style on Bloodbath, a fairly short composition based on blast beats, fast riffs, and heavy Thrash influences to deliver its full power while high-pitched vocals are at work. The band offers its first ballad with Raging Wild And Free, a fairly soft track where harmonics and vocals compete on a haunting base, offering both a moment of softness and vulnerability, then Blast The Highway immediately picks up the pace, accelerating and creating a much more furious rhythm that doesn’t hesitate to use accelerations to make us want to raise our fists. The track is fairly short, but flows naturally into the groovy Compelled, which takes advantage of a calmer rhythm to offer heavy tones at times before rushing forward again with Dragon Of Algorath, which offers epic tones at a good pace, borrowing from speed metal as much as from its fast-paced roots and daring to use piercing vocal flights. The tempo slows down as the harmonics intensify on Sleeping Prophet, offering a haunting but rather heavy and hypnotic progression, at times almost similar to a power ballad. The album then comes to a close with Reign Of The Night, a track with imposing riffs and sometimes almost majestic touches that contrast with the more intense passages, which serve to unite the audience one last time and will undoubtedly be a huge success live if the band decides to return to the stage.
Heavy Metal is one of Metal’s oldest styles, with fairly strict codes that still allow each band to develop its own touch, as Death Dealer has done. Reign of Steel will find its way onto the shelves of many collectors and will undoubtedly be played throughout the year!
75/100