Jason Crews is the owner and editor of INFRARED MAGAZINE and a Dallas–Fort Worth-based music journalist and concert photographer. Through INFRARED MAGAZINE and JASON CREWS PHOTOGRAPHY, he covers rock, metal, country, and live music with a focus on album reviews, artist features, concert coverage, and photography. His work is driven by a genuine passion for music and helping artists connect with new audiences through honest writing, strong visuals, and meaningful storytelling.
Rating: 9.5 / 10 Stars
VALKYRIE’S FIRE is: Bettie Floyd – Vocals, Adam Sanders – Vocals, Joey Grimaldi – Guitar, Ryan Metroka – Drums, Dave Hale – Bass, Salem Belladonna – Keys/Cello
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
REVIEW – VALKYRIE’S FIRE arrives with Out of Darkness sounding far more established than a band releasing its debut full-length. The Nashville sextet blends symphonic grandeur, power metal energy, progressive textures, and emotional songwriting into a 13-track album that feels ambitious without becoming bloated. There is a cinematic quality running through the entire record, but underneath all of the orchestration and atmosphere is a band that understands how important strong riffs, memorable melodies, and powerful vocals are.
From the opening moments, Out of Darkness feels designed to pull the listener into another world.
“In Spirit, In Shadow” opens the album with classical textures that slowly envelop the senses. Rather than launching straight into aggression, VALKYRIE’S FIRE uses the short instrumental introduction to establish mood and scale. The musicianship is immediate, and the track works like the opening scene of something much larger.
“Evermore” expands that foundation with a powerful blend of classical influence and progressive rock. The song feels grand without becoming overbearing, giving Bettie Floyd and Adam Sanders plenty of room to bring the vocal melodies forward while the instrumentation builds around them.
The title track, “Valkyrie’s Fire,” is one of the album’s emotional centerpieces. The music carries real weight, with soaring arrangements and vocal performances that send shivers down the spine. It is dramatic, but the emotion feels earned rather than forced.
“Cascade” immediately raises the physical energy. This is where the album becomes fist-pumping and headbanging, with the band letting loose while still maintaining the melodic and symphonic foundation around the heavier parts. The vocal work is especially strong, giving the song the kind of chorus that should translate beautifully in a live setting.
“Burning Sky,” featuring Mikael Sehlin of Amaranthe, is one of the album’s obvious standouts. Thundering drums, thick bass, scorching guitars, and soaring vocals come together in a track that feels huge from the beginning. Sehlin’s guest appearance adds another layer without overwhelming the identity of VALKYRIE’S FIRE, and the song has the kind of immediate impact that makes sense as a focus track.
“Shattered” shifts the mood dramatically. The track invites the listener to close their eyes and drift into the atmosphere, letting the melodies and arrangements do the emotional work. This is where the album’s softer side becomes just as effective as the heavier one.
“I See the Angels Fly” continues that sense of immersion. The arrangement gives the imagination room to take over, creating one of the album’s most cinematic passages. The song feels expansive and almost dreamlike, reinforcing how comfortable VALKYRIE’S FIRE is when slowing things down.
“Skylark” settles into a smoother groove and allows the emotion to flow naturally. It is one of the songs that benefits from restraint, using melody and atmosphere rather than sheer force to make its impact.
“Labyrinth” feels like drifting through space and time. The keyboards and orchestral textures create a sense of motion without rushing the song, while the rhythm section keeps everything grounded. It is another strong example of how VALKYRIE’S FIRE can build atmosphere without losing focus.
“Bone and Thorn” carries a reflective quality, almost like becoming lost in distant memories. The song unfolds patiently and allows the emotional weight to accumulate over time rather than demanding attention immediately.
“Dark Moon” leans into that emotional pull even more strongly. Dreams and memories come flooding back as the music moves through darker, more introspective spaces. The vocals remain powerful, but the arrangement gives them enough breathing room to feel intimate.
“Nocturne” brings one of the softest and most delicate moments on the album. Gentle melodies envelop the senses and provide a necessary contrast before the closing track. It is proof that VALKYRIE’S FIRE does not need constant heaviness to remain compelling.
“I Will Rise Again” closes the album with nearly ten minutes of classical influence, progressive ambition, and powerful vocals. It feels like the natural culmination of everything that came before, bringing together the symphonic scope, emotional storytelling, and heavier elements into one final statement.
What makes Out of Darkness so impressive is how cohesive it feels.
There are a lot of moving parts here.
Two lead vocalists.
Heavy guitars.
Bass and drums.
Keyboards.
Cello.
Classical arrangements.
Progressive passages.
Guest vocals.
And yet the album rarely feels overcrowded.
Bettie Floyd and Adam Sanders complement one another well, giving VALKYRIE’S FIRE a vocal identity that feels dynamic rather than predictable. Joey Grimaldi’s guitar work provides both aggression and melody, while Ryan Metroka and Dave Hale give the songs enough rhythmic force to keep the larger arrangements grounded. Salem Belladonna’s keys and cello help push the album into a more cinematic and symphonic direction without reducing the songs to background orchestration.
That balance matters.
A lot of bands can make music sound large.
Far fewer can make large music feel personal.
VALKYRIE’S FIRE manages to do both.
The record also benefits from its pacing. The heavier tracks are balanced by dreamlike passages, quieter moments, and longer compositions that allow the album to breathe. Instead of feeling like 13 songs competing for attention, Out of Darkness feels like a journey with peaks, valleys, and deliberate emotional shifts.
There is also a sense that VALKYRIE’S FIRE is aiming beyond a simple debut statement.
This sounds like a band trying to establish a world.
A visual identity.
A sonic identity.
A sense of scale.
And most importantly, a reason for the listener to come back.
Out of Darkness feels polished without becoming sterile, dramatic without becoming theatrical for its own sake, and emotional without losing its metallic edge.
For a debut full-length, that is a difficult balance to achieve.
VALKYRIE’S FIRE sounds confident, ambitious, and completely committed to the world it is building.
If this is the beginning, the future looks very bright.
For more information on VALKYRIE’S FIRE, visit:
www.ValkyriesFire.com
www.Facebook.com/ValkyriesFireOfficial
www.Twitter.com/ValkyriesFire
www.Instagram.com/ValkyriesFireOfficial
www.YouTube.com/@ValkyriesFireOfficial
www.Spotify.com/Artist/ValkyriesFire
