Release date:

Release date: April 7, 2025

The legendary world of Sword and Sorcery comes roaring back to life in this new release; populated by muscle-bound warriors, brave heroines, and wicked villains willing to go to any lengths to see their twisted ambitions fulfilled. Indeed, the world of heavy metal is teeming with castles, cursed towers, and wild wastelands. In every riff, every crash of cymbal, every verse, there lies a hidden truth about disgraced heroes, crooked paths waiting to be set straight, and horsemen galloping toward eternity.

But beyond the music, what if we read stories by the musicians themselves? Musicians who set aside picks and drumsticks to wield the pen with precision, conjuring vivid and brutal worlds? That’s exactly what Swords of Steel Volume Four delivers! An anthology curated by D.M Ritzlin (with a preface by fantasy writer Schuyler Hernstrom), who defends quite literally with sword and shield; the vital need to escape into other realms, far removed from the crushing weight of debts and grim material reality.

The result is a bold and diverse anthology of tales of varying lengths and styles. You’ll embody adventurers in alternate realms, follow conspiracies of hellish warlocks, step into the boots of a British agent, or feel the heartbreak of a man yearning for his lost love. Like a concept album, let’s dive into each story track by track.

Review

“When the Stars Invert” – Matthew Knight (vocalist, Eternal Winter & Cauldron Born)
A vigorous tale mixing occultism, dark rituals, and madness. Knight’s writing is direct, favouring sharp dialogue and vivid, often malicious detail; especially when describing wounds and gore. The story unfolds in a grimdark medieval world, where fanatical knights led by Malethius seek to resurrect a demonic entity in exchange for unlimited power. Think Robert E. Howard meets Lovecraft; like The Tower of the Elephant on steroids. A splendid and brutal read.

“The Last Bastion…” – Howie K. Bentley (guitarist, Briton Rites & Cauldron Born)
Following a similar trail, though with a more descriptive and dreamlike style, this story recounts the final stand of Castle Velascu against the forces of Evil. Atop a 2,500-foot-high crag, Velascu is the last free stronghold in a world decaying into darkness. Narrated by Kyriana, once a slave captured by desert marauders, later rescued and married by the noble Draco Kharn, the tale feels like a forgotten scroll of epic legend. Less about dialogue or action, and more like a chronicle of visions and memories.

“The Fall of Karynthos Keep” – Joe Minichino (vocalist/guitarist, DoomSword)
Cassian Darios leads the Black Talons, mercenaries hired by the fanatical Ordo Nihilum to seal the Rift Maw; a cosmic rupture threatening to fracture reality. Set in a mystical, ruined fortress, the tale drips with arcane decay and metaphysical ruin. Minichino’s introspective style recalls the existential despair of Michael Moorcock. Is there redemption after so much suffering? The haunting finale offers no easy answers.

“The Shrine of the Six-eyed Avatar” – Byron A. Roberts (vocalist, Bal-Sagoth)
Penned in ornate, baroque prose, this pulp-action tale follows Grimwood, a British agent sent into the Egyptian desert to investigate a cult worshipping the ancient Z’xulth; reptilian and insectoid deities. Beginning with a moonlit ambush by cloaked assassins, the story escalates into cryptic clues and subterranean horrors. An absolute treat for fans of Indiana Jones–style mystery laced with Lovecraftian dread.

“Shadows from Night Eternal” – Peter Salatellis (guitarist, Bloodstone)
In the war-torn city of Koranth, grizzled warrior Aivas is approached by Addamathus, a priest of the prophet Valkka. He reveals visions of a spreading evil: Night Eternal, a cosmic darkness unleashed by the demon-possessed warlord Sanatan. A classic sword-and-sorcery tale with spiritual and cosmic undertones; perfect for fans of Dungeons & Dragons and the timeless battle of Light versus Darkness.

“Wraiths of Pongus Maw” – Jo Gamel (visual artist,bassist and singer of Metal of Jupiter) Set at the end of the Age of Sail, the story begins aboard the HMS Jupiter, part of a European fleet confronting Egyptians and Ottomans in the legendary Pongus Maw strait. Led by the proud Captain Martinus Grey, the crew ventures into forbidden waters, ignoring warnings from their enigmatic navigator Aquila. A surreal and exuberant tale rich with humor and nautical mythology, pitting human reason against a mythical sea monster and his immortal keeper, the silver selkie.

“Escape from the Bad Magick” – Jean-Pierre Abboud (vocalist, Among These Ashes & Syrinx)
Welcome to Weydan, a floating fortress-city ruled by the Parsimmons and Zora Roch’s mage elite, where bodies are enslaved as fuel for magical-industrial power. With a fast-paced narrative and heavy world-building, Abboud’s tale critiques authoritarian systems and magical exploitation. The vocabulary; names like Parsimmons and Zora Roch evokes both ancient grandeur and dark sci-fi tones.

“For an Unnamed Succubus” – Howie K. Bentley
Not all fantasy must be grand and epic. This intimate tale deals with the pain of lost love and the aching void of loneliness. Bentley explores whether anything truly satisfying can replace that sorrow, with a haunting twist that, true to its title, suggests that dark temptations always lurk nearby; eager to prey on our deepest vulnerabilities.

“The Wizard and the Tower Keep” – D.R. Lackner (musician, Legendry; visual artist)
Written in a cinematic tone soaked in heavy metal aesthetics, this story follows an unnamed warrior from Earth who now roams the woods of Evermorn in a strange world called Eryn. Armed with ancient relics and the Eye of the Kings, a talisman of interdimensional power; he ventures into a malevolent tower. Expect thrilling battles, dark forces, and classic good-vs-evil themes ripped straight from the back of a metal LP cover.

“Dragonslayer’s Doom” – Sarah Kitteringham (vocalist, Smoulder)
Agnes, a stoic and battle-hardened veteran, wakes wounded after fighting off human foes. With her loyal squire Valencia at her side, she scavenges the battlefield. Written in a poetic and emotionally charged style, this story draws inspiration from Smoulder’s track “Violent Creed of Vengeance” (2023). A tragic hero tale closer to mysticism than juvenile fantasy, it’s a masterfully crafted piece of doom-laced fiction.

Conclusion

Swords of Steel Volume Four is a vibrant and multifaceted celebration of the crossroads between heavy metal’s raw aesthetic and the world of sword and sorcery fiction. Edited by D.M. Ritzlin, this collection doesn’t merely rehash the genre’s classic tropes; castles, warriors, witches, beasts, but supercharges them through the creative visions of metal musicians, transforming roaring riffs and guttural vocals into blazing swords, dark rites, ruined kingdoms, and alternate realities.

Ultimately, this anthology offers an immersive experience that transcends traditional fantasy reading: it’s a narrative extension of the metal ethos itself; wild, poetic, blood-soaked, and defiant. Perfect for metalheads and fantasy lovers alike, it’s a gateway to new mythologies where imagination resists, if only for a while; the crushing weight of the real world.

TheNwothm Score: 8/10

Trade Paperback: 9” x 6”, 232 pages, $19.99
Classic Size Paperback: 7.5” x 4.25”, 278 pages, $14.99
Digital: $4.99

Links

Website:https://dmrbooks.com/swords-of-steel-iv

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