Artist: Templar
Country: Sweden
Label: Jawbreaker Records
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2026
After a well-received demo and an EP as well as a good amount of live shows, Templar from Sweden now strike back with their debut album. But, in case you haven’t stumbled on this band before, the striking cover art of ‘Conquering Swords’ is revealing everything you need to know about Templar. Nothing that’s embedded in these nine tracks (and intro) is remotely new or original, instead they heavily lean on the Heavy Metal tradition of the first half of the 80s.
A closer inspection would lead you to no other conclusion, as the individual musicians all have experience in bands such as Atonement, Eternal Evil, and Speeder, some of which have already graced our pages. So the feeling of nostalgia and deep-rooted love for 80s metal is clearly second nature to them. ‘Conquering Swords’ fits in seamlessly with this approach.
Although there are some strong Speed Metal riffs here and there, and ‘The Sorceress’ is a kind of semi-Hard Rock ballad, most of it is just pure Heavy Metal that takes us back to the years leading up to 1985. It draws on the Heavy Metal tradition of the NWOBHM and that of their homeland. That means we are treated to a mix of bands like Angelwitch, Witchfinder General, Randy and especially Heavy Load, interspersed with galloping riffs, strong solo work, and matching squeaky vocals.
Musically, there may not be much to add, as ‘Conquering Swords’ does not offer anything that has not already been done and imitated countless times, but that is not necessarily where Templar’s strength lies. That strength is based on a profound sense of authenticity. Not only does the artwork contribute to this, or the silly haircuts and moustaches, but also, and not least, the production, which was handled by Staffan Tengnér (Century, Black Spell). He has proven several times with his own bands that he knows how to create an old-fashioned sound, but ‘Conquering Swords’ is certainly not his least impressive work. The pleasantly thin sound enhances the power of the riffs, and singer Isak Neffling’s voice in particular comes across as eerily authentic.
Although it may be obvious, this is something that should definitely be recommended to fans of Heavy Metal bands such as those mentioned above, as well as Witchfynde, Virtue, Satan, Torch, Gotham City, Helvetet’s Port, Lucifer’s Hammer, Brocas Helm, Manilla Road, and Picture.
