After the first instalment in a new series celebrating a records ten year anniversary this year, we saw the diabolical conjuring of Dimmu Borgir’s In Sorte Diaboli. Now we turn our steely gaze to the Canadian genius that was 3 Inches of Blood‘s Fire Up The Blades.

Released exactly this date ten years ago (May 28th), Fire Up The Blades was one of the true jewels in the crown of 2007’s Heavy Metal. Inspired by the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and copious amounts of orc killing in Lord of The Rings, the Canadians sung tales of valour from all different walks of life. From the genius Thrash riffing of “The Goatriders Horde” to the triplet frenzy that was “Forest King”. Telling tales of the great halls of Valhalla in “The Great Hall Of Feasting” to “The Hydra’s Teeth” which chronicles Jason and The Argonauts. Sadly the band have called it day following their final record Long Live Heavy Metal but their Metal lives on in the spirit of this genius. I was indeed a lucky soul to have been able to see the band once at 11am at Download and the second time in the sweat pit that was their Underworld show with the chainsaw guitars of Goatwhore and man what a show it was. Quite frankly there’s nothing better than combining both mythological beasts and Heavy Metal and Fire Up The Blades brings this Tolkien-esque mythology without all the nerdiness. So crack open a beer, draw your swords throw up the horns and pretend you’re in Middle Earth with the best possible soundtrack in the world.