Triumpher is a pretty killer power metal band, hailing from Greece. With album and lyrical themes surrounding Greek mythology and fantasy, you know the music had better back it up. Their 2023 debut Storming the Walls was a scorcher, only to best it a year later with Spirit Invictus. Now album #3 drops – Piercing the Heart of the World, and take a pause to look at this fantastic and whimsical album cover. I do love power metal, and for me to really attach to a band, they had better have fast and galloping tunes, or else I am zoning out.

“Black Blood” opens this eight song 44 minute album and begins with a perfect mid-pace gallop with grandiose vocals, I mean, come on what do you expect, it’s power metal. Mars Triumph has a very powerful voice with varying ranges. If you like all the German power metal bands, well, he has a similar delivery, with even some crazier ranges. Agis Tzoukopoulos knows his way around a drum kit, and the double bass moments will knock your boots right off. The guitars have an excellent sound with Mario Ñ Peters and Christopher Tsakiropoulos writing creative and well balanced riffs. The mid-paced moments give way to a much faster tempo at the 3.43 moment, just as the guitar harmonies kick in, and I really love this faster pace. Varius dual layered vocals mixed in with deeper tones, surround this killer opener.

“Destroyer” opens with a killer guitar riff, then the mid-paced galloping erupts and the varying vocal moments and doomy atmosphere transports me to knights battling dragons in order to protect the land’s most precious castles. There is some definite Twilight Force grandiosity happening here. Excellent double bass start and stutter stops as the choral vocals ignite, and create a landscape of times of fantastical yore. Excellent vocal elements, and then more of the faster galloping begins, then slows with a killer guitar solo. The guitar solo guides us more through the galloping and some faster sped-up tempos as well. The Viking flavored deeper vocal elements has me thinking of some 1960’s classic Sinbad movies as well as Jason and the Argonauts – one of my fave movies. This song must be in the band’s live set going forward.

“Vaults of Immortals” is an atmospheric interlude with light music and vocals with some nice piano work and goes right into “The Flaming Sword”, which has the word epic all over it. Mainly a slow-paced song the guitar harmonies are pure excellence and the rhythm section has a chance to breathe. This song reminds me of something Eternal Champion or Visigoth would write. Epic metal. There are some sprinklings of classic Iron Maiden melodies on this song as I picture someone walking around the local castles with a huge sword in their hand, taking the queue from DIO (RIP). Soaring vocals with immense epic buildups every so often.

“Naus Apidalia” ends the album and is over nine minutes, making it the longest song here. Starting as an epic metal song, the bass guitar, courtesy of Stelios Zoumis, has some definite plucking moments on this track. About halfway into the song are atmospherics and the music builds back up, even more melodic., with a bit of a slower gallop. Terrific vocal elements and this song is a pretty good epic ending to a good album.

Piercing the Heart of the World is a really good fun power metal album from Triumpher. I do feel their past efforts are a bit better. This album is a slower paced album and sure we have some faster numbers, like previously mentioned and certainly “Erinyes” brings in the speed element. However, there are slower elements on this when I wanted more galloping and speedy moments. Regardless, the musicianship and production are on point. Triumpher are definitely one of the better power metal bands out there and give the band a shot!

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