The epic vibe of the album is already set in the intro, Gates of Angmar, and we are told that the journey through the realms of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world is about to continue. Templar began this majestic and dark pilgrimage already on Black Knight (demo 2022, Jawbreaker Records), but tons of things have changed along the way to reach the highly anticipated debut album Conquering Swords. New lands have been conquered since Isak Neffling became the new singer and bassist, and Teddy Edoff switched from bass to guitar to battle the axe in great company of Gustav Harrysson.

Gates of Angmar passes into Witchking. From the very first tone it is clear that the four knights from Stockholm are synchronized to the bone. The entire album is a demonstration of talented playing and dexterity with beautiful melodies, riffs and solos as a result. But the instrument that hits me the hardest is the thunderous, impeccable drums mastered by Mille Lundström. As the song continues it also becomes clear that we’ve never heard a better vocal performance from Isak before.

The production of Conquering Swords is also on top. The album has a more prominent sound of heavy metal darkness than before, with that particular Century-touch to it and there is no doubt why since the recording and mixing is the craftmanship of Staffan Tengnér from Century. It fits perfectly with the adventure Templar is taking us on throughout the album. No matter if the melodies are dark, rapid or catchy, Isak’s war cry is deep and hunting, but most importantly it adds the perfect – and to me crucial – amount of melancholy. This mix is the specific power present in almost every Thin Lizzy song due to the voice of Phil Lynott. And that is a high rating. All of these parts creates the foundation of a deeply interesting atmosphere. The songs evoke the essence of being alive, or that your life is even taken from you (!), and music is never better than when it feels like your heart is being ripped out of your chest.

Excalibur is the first proof of this piece of art and Exiled in Fire is the culmination of it all. In a matter of fact, the first time I heard Exiled in Fire, I dropped my jaw and raised my eyebrows. Which I barely ever do. That I would experience something so authentically Swedish hard rock à la the 80s from a young new band in 2026 left me floored, actually moved to tears. Suddenly I didn’t need that time machine – Templar brought it all back and polished it with their own steady steel. Isak’s Swedish accent definitely contributes to that experience and gives Templar another characteristic to be proud of.