IRON SAVIOR
IRON SAVIOR “Firestar”
By Dr. Abner Mality
It’s pretty much true that if you’ve heard one IRON SAVIOR album, you’ve heard them all. That’s a double edged sword, though. The band does not change their style in the least...but if that style is enjoyable and done well, do they have to? That’s the conundrum we have with IRON SAVIOR.
The Germans are one of the better melodic power metal bands in existence, but even PRIMAL FEAR has more willingness to mix things up. I’m right on the edge with these guys. I’d like them to maybe put in just a few teeny tiny change-ups into the formula. But then, when I hear near perfect speed/power metal cuts like “Mask, Cloak and Sword” and “Rising From The Ashes”, I think...nah, I can live without it. Really, only HELLOWEEN and PRIMAL FEAR can be mentioned in the same breath as IRON SAVIOR when it comes to German power metal.
And SAVIOR is the fastest of those bands, without a doubt. Just check out the blazing intensity of the title track, which is like the NAPALM DEATH of power metal when it comes to speed. But the soaring melodies, another IRON SAVIOR characteristic, are still there. These space troopers really know how to mix speed and melody. And though the fast tracks dominate, there are still moodier, mid-paced crunchers like “Across The Wasteland” and “Through The Fires Of Hell” to break things up. These are also part of the IRON SAVIOR story.
There’s also a really feeling of energy and enjoyment to the music that seeps into everything and helps to elevate it above just phoning it in. Let’s face it, these songs practically write themselves by now, so typical are they, so without that extra snap, they’d just lie there. But they don’t. Even Piet Sielck’s vocals are as bubbly and clear as they were on the very first IRON SAVIOR album. So even though the band is basically recycling themselves endlessly, they are still a lot of fun to listen to. And that trumps just about everything.