Iron Fire - Among The Dead review
Band: | Iron Fire |
Album: | Among The Dead |
Style: | Heavy metal, Power metal |
Release date: | September 2016 |
01. Intro (The Lost City)
02. Among The Dead
03. Hammer Of The Gods
04. Tornado Of Sickness
05. Higher Ground
06. Iron Eagle
07. Made To Suffer
08. The Last Survivor
09. No Sign Of Life
10. Ghost From The Past
11. When The Lights Go Out
12. For Whom The Bell Tolls [Metallica cover][bonus]
Despite its thick, grungy opening and more millennial take on aggressive pacing, Iron Fire is a veteran power metal act - and if you weren't paying attention, you'd be excused for thinking that this was all they could ever be. Among The Dead is essentially what I was hoping the new Sinbreed would be - no frills heavy/power with compelling vocals and catchy melodies - but with a lot of elements you aren't likely to find in most bands committed to that archetype. "Hardcore power metal" might be a more fitting description for this sound.
Even in the most traditionally power metal segments of Among The Dead, Iron Fire carries some alt metal tinges that make otherwise off-the-rack songs feel slightly more novel. Whether it's the occasional Brazilian-style groove or the blatantly thrash "No Sign Of Life," Among The Dead has more layers than the one-dimensional power-by-numbers album you'd be forgiven for expecting. Most common, however, as I alluded to in the last paragraph, are the hardcore influences, punk and otherwise, taking Iron Fire even more old school than power/thrash bands like Iced Earth.
"No Sign Of Life" has the closest thing to a core-style breakdown I've ever heard in a power metal song, but Iron Fire takes a few other stabs throughout the album, even as early on as the title track. The occasional dissonant riff + china combos are utterly perplexing, but on second thought, they don't sound too out-of-place when bounded by strained vocals approaching hardcore screams and after reconciling the fact that Iron Fire is out to do a lot more than be the ten millionth Sonarctica Stratoween. Addressing the side of this album that actually is power, the extremely Manowar "Hammer Of The Gods" and epic power classicism of "Tornado Of Sickness" bring the album back to very familiar ground, but with an extra gut-punch of ferocity and heaviness.
Michael Steene's husky, gutsy voice already positions Iron Fire in a different camp from empowered contemporaries, perfectly complementing the band's grittier take on traditional power metal and drawing on elements of Christ Boltendahl, Chuck Billy, and Michael Seifert. Occasional uses of harsh vocals pepper the backdrop behind his relatively clean melody lines alongside more clarion, higher-register backing vocals. Steene's voice has the range and personality to guide Iron Fire through both the uncharted waters and age-old traditions that Among The Dead visits over the course of 40+ minutes.
Most of these riffs are nothing you haven't heard before on a hundred mid-'80s heavy/speed/power/glam albums before, and even with the contempt for conventional execution that gives Iron Fire the bulk and clout of a more interesting band, few tracks break anything that could be considered new ground musically or thematically. The unusual style, however, coupled with a memorable frontman, makes Among The Dead worth much more than just a cursory glance. Basically, as long as Steene has his mouth open, there's something interesting enough going on to make Among The Dead a fun album, and tracks like "Tornado Of Sickness," "Iron Eagle," and the title track will definitely find their ways into your head for a while.
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 9 |
Songwriting: | 7 |
Originality: | 8 |
Production: | 7 |
| Written on 04.09.2016 by I'm the reviewer, and that means my opinion is correct. |
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